Developmental trajectory of attentional shifts during single-digit arithmetic: an eye- tracking study among 2nd and 4th Graders
(2022) MCLS — Location: Antwerpen (1.June.2022)
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- Recent studies conducted in adults have demonstrated that mental arithmetic involves shifting attention along a spatial continuum. Although little is known on when these attentional shifts develop in childhood during the acquisition of arithmetic. Previous behavioural studies suggested that they would not be recruited until 4th or 5th Grade. Here, we used an eye-tracker with high spatio-temporal resolution to measure spontaneous eye movements used as a proxy for attentional shifts, while children of 2nd (N=50) and 4th (N=48) Grade solved simple additions (e.g., 4+3) and subtractions (e.g., 3-2). At odds with previous studies, our results show horizontal and vertical attentional shifts in both groups. Critically, horizontal eye movements were observed in 4th Graders as soon as the first operand and the operator were presented. These attentional shifts were only observed later in 2nd Graders, after the presentation of the second operand just before the response was made. This demonstrates that spatial attention is recruited in children to solve arithmetic problems, even in early stages of learning. The time course of these attentional shifts suggests that with practice in arithmetic children learn to use spatial attention to anticipatively guide the search for the answer and facilitate the implementation of solving procedures.
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Masson, N., Stephany, M., Dormal, V., & Schiltz, C. (2022). Developmental trajectory of attentional shifts during single-digit arithmetic: an eye- tracking study among 2nd and 4th Graders. MCLS, Antwerpen. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/236961