Hypersensitivity-to-interference in memory as a possible cause of difficulty in arithmetic facts storing.
(2018) Heterogeneity of Function in Numerical Cognition — ISBN: [9780128115299], p. 387-408, published
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- Difficulty in memorizing arithmetic facts is a common problem encountered in people suffering from dyscalculia. We suggest that hypersensitivity-to-interference in memory could account for this profile of difficulty. We first report the description of a patient showing a deficit in storing multiplication facts together with a hypersensitivity-to-interference. We hypothesized that similarity between arithmetic facts would provoke interference and that learners who are hypersensitive-to-interference would encounter difficulties in storing arithmetic facts in memory. This hypothesis was first tested in 4th grade children: Children with weak arithmetic facts learning showed higher sensitivity-to-interference in memory compared to the control group. We then showed in adults, that this hypothesis specifically explained difficulties in arithmetic facts solving but not in a global math test. Finally, we created a measure of the proactive interference weight for each multiplication problem and showed that it accounted for both difference of performance between the problems and between individuals.
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Noël, M.-P., & De Visscher, A. (2018). Hypersensitivity-to-interference in memory as a possible cause of difficulty in arithmetic facts storing. In Henik, Avishai ; Fias, Wim (ed.), Heterogeneity of Function in Numerical Cognition (p. p. 387-408). Academic Press. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/269343