Interference in arithmetic facts: Are active suppression processes involved when performing simple mental arithmetic?

We report an experiment aimed at determining whether active suppression processes or passive activation-based interference are related to performance in the production of simple mental arithmetic. Fifty-nine undergraduate students performed simple additions and multiplications, as well as three tasks assessing suppression of distractor interference, suppression of irrelevant information from memory, and sensitivity to activation-based interference. We found a significant relationship between accuracy in the arithmetic tasks and the latter: Participants who were less accurate when solving simple arithmetic problems showed a greater sensitivity to activation-based interference than participants who were more accurate. These findings suggest that solving simple arithmetic problems involves passive activation-based interference rather than active suppression processes and are discussed in the light of theoretical models of arithmetic facts

Le système symbolique arabe: acquisition, évaluation et pistes rééducatives

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Neuropsychological Profile of Executive Function in Girls with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The majority of research on neurobehavioral functioning among children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is based on samples comprised primarily (or exclusively) of boys. Although functional impairment is well established, available research has yet to specify a neuropsychological profile distinct to girls with ADHD. The purpose of this study was to examine performance within four components of executive function (EF) in contemporaneously recruited samples of girls and boys with ADHD. Fifty-six children with ADHD (26 girls) and 90 controls (42 girls), ages 8–13, were administered neuropsychological tests emphasizing response inhibition, response preparation, working memory, and planning/shifting. There were no significant differences in age or SES between boys or girls with ADHD or their sex-matched controls; ADHD subtype distribution did not differ by sex. Compared with controls, children with ADHD showed significant deficits on all four EF components. Girls and boys with ADHD showed similar patterns of deficit on tasks involving response preparation and working memory; however, they manifested different patterns of executive dysfunction on tasks related to response inhibition and planning. Girls with ADHD showed elevated motor overflow, while boys with ADHD showed greater impairment during conscious, effortful response inhibition. Girls, but not boys with ADHD, showed impairment in planning. There were no differences between ADHD subtypes on any EF component. These findings highlight the importance of studying boys and girls separately (as well as together) when considering manifestations of executive dysfunction in ADHD