Educational and Cognitive Predictors of Pro- and Antisaccadic Performance

Voluntary gaze control allows people to direct their attention toward selected targets while avoiding distractors. Failure in this ability could be related to dysfunctions in the neural circuits underlying executive functions. Interestingly, recent evidence suggests that factors such as years of schooling and literacy may positively influence goal-directed behavior and inhibitory control. However, we do not yet know whether these factors also have a significant impact on the inhibitory control of oculomotor responses. Using pro- and antisaccadic tasks to assess the behavioral responses of healthy adults, we tested the contribution of years of schooling and reading proficiency to their oculomotor control, while simultaneously analyzing the effects of other individual characteristics related to demographic, cognitive and motor profiles. This approach allowed us to test the hypothesis that schooling factors are closely related to oculomotor performance. Indeed, a regression analysis revealed important contributions of reading speed and intellectual functioning to the choices on both pro- and antisaccadic tasks, while years of schooling, age and block sequence emerged as important predictors of the kinematic properties of eye movements on antisaccadic tasks. Thus, our findings show that years of schooling and reading speed had a strong predictive influence on the oculomotor measures, although age and order of presentation also influenced saccadic performance, as previously reported. Unexpectedly, we found that an indirect measure of intellectual ability also proved to be a good predictor of the control of saccadic movements. The methods and findings of this study will be useful for identifying and breaking down the cognitive and educational components involved in assessing voluntary and automatic responses

Supplementary Material for Psychometric Properties of the WRAT Math Computation Subtest in Mexican Adolescents

The goal of this study is to provide normative scores and examine the psychometric properties of the WRAT Math Computation subtest for Mexican adolescents after the completion of junior high school, the last level of compulsory education. We group-administered this subtest to 1318 first-year Mexican high school students. We then obtained its overall internal reliability and examined its underlying factor structure. Finally, we determined its concurrent and criterion validity by evaluating a subsample of 106 students that included adolescents with mathematical difficulty, mathematical talent, and typical performance. Results showed that the subtest has a good internal reliability and appropriate psychometric characteristics, suggesting its appropriateness for the detection of adolescents with particular difficulty or ability in mathematics. The Exploratory Factor Analysis identified three factors: Arithmetic, Fractions and Basic Algebra, and Rational Numbers. There were also sex differences in the number of correct responses, but the effect size was small

The Eyes Have It: A Meta-analysis of Oculomotor Inhibition in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

BACKGROUND: Diminished inhibitory control is one of the main characteristics of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and impairments in oculomotor inhibition have been proposed as a potential biomarker of the disorder. The present meta-analysis summarizes the effects reported in studies comparing oculomotor inhibition in ADHD patients and healthy control subjects. METHODS: Inhibitory outcomes were derived from oculomotor experimental paradigms including the antisaccade (AS), memory-guided saccade, and prolonged fixation tasks. Temporal and spatial measures were also extracted from these tasks and from visually guided saccade tasks as secondary outcomes. Data were available from k = 31 studies (N = 1567 participants). Summary effect sizes were computed using random-effects models and a restricted maximum-likelihood estimator. RESULTS: Among inhibitory outcomes, direction errors in AS, after correcting for publication bias, showed a mod-erate effect and large between-study heterogeneity (k = 18, n = 739, g = 0.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.27, 0.88], I2 = 74%); anticipatory saccades in memory-guided saccade showed a large effect and low heterogeneity (k = 11, n = 487; g = 0.86, 95% CI [0.64, 1.08], I2 = 17.7%); and saccades during prolonged fixation evidenced large effect size and heterogeneity (k = 6, n = 325 g = 1.11, 95% CI [0.56, 1.65], I2 = 79.1%) partially related to age. Among secondary outcomes, saccadic reaction time in AS (k = 22, n = 932, g = 0.34, 95% CI [0.06, 0.63], I2 = 53.12%) and coefficient of variability in visually guided saccade (k = 5, n = 282, g = 0.53, 95% CI [0.28, 0.78], I2 = 0.01%) indicated significant effects with small to moderate effects sizes. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD groups commit more oculomotor inhibition failures than control groups. The substantial effects support the conclusion that oculomotor disinhibition is a relevant ADHD-related mechanism. Moderate effects observed in saccadic reaction time variability suggest that fluctuant performance in oculomotor tasks is another relevant characteristic of ADHD

The Contributions of Executive Functions to Mathematical Learning Difficulties and Mathematical Talent During Adolescence

Are mathematical learning difficulties caused by impairment of the abilities that underlie mathematical talent? Or are mathematical difficulties and talent qualitatively different? The main goal of this study was to determine whether mathematical learning difficulties are explained by the same executive functions as mathematical talent. We screened a pool of 2,682 first-year high school students and selected 48 for evaluation, dividing them into three groups: those with mathematical learning difficulties (n = 16), those with typical performance (n = 16), and those with mathematical talent (n = 16). Adolescents from the learning difficulties and talented groups had age, reading skills, and verbal and non-verbal intelligence that were similar to those of the typical performance group. Participants were administered a suite of tasks to evaluate verbal and visual short-term memory and executive functions of inhibition, shifting, and updating. Their executive functioning profile differed between groups: participants with mathematical learning difficulties had lower levels of performance in updating visual information than those in the typical performance group. Those with mathematical talent, however, had greater shifting abilities than their peers with typical abilities. Effect sizes for the differences in performance between groups were large (Hedges' g > 0.8). These results suggest that different cognitive profiles are associated with mathematical learning difficulties and mathematical talent. We discuss how these differences in executive functions could be related to the different types of mathematical abilities that distinguish the three groups

The contributions of executive functions to mathematical learning difficulties and mathematical talent during adolescence.

Are mathematical learning difficulties caused by impairment of the abilities that underlie mathematical talent? Or are mathematical difficulties and talent qualitatively different? The main goal of this study was to determine whether mathematical learning difficulties are explained by the same executive functions as mathematical talent. We screened a pool of 2,682 first-year high school students and selected 48 for evaluation, dividing them into three groups: those with mathematical learning difficulties (n = 16), those with typical performance (n = 16), and those with mathematical talent (n = 16). Adolescents from the learning difficulties and talented groups had age, reading skills, and verbal and non-verbal intelligence that were similar to those of the typical performance group. Participants were administered a suite of tasks to evaluate verbal and visual short-term memory and executive functions of inhibition, shifting, and updating. Different executive functions showed different contributions at the two ends of the math ability continuum: lower levels of performance in updating visual information were related to mathematical learning difficulties, while greater shifting abilities were related to mathematical talent. Effect sizes for the differences in performance between groups were large (Hedges' g > 0.8). These results suggest that different executive functions are associated with mathematical learning difficulties and mathematical talent. We discuss how these differences in executive functions could be related to the different types of mathematical abilities that distinguish the three groups

Características del trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad en escolares mexicanos de acuerdo con la percepción de los padres

ResumenEl trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH) es uno de los trastornos del neurodesarrollo que más se detectan en la infancia. El objetivo del presente estudio fue estimar la prevalencia del TDAH en una muestra de niños mexicanos de edad escolar. Se estudiaron 6639 alumnos de escuelas públicas de Guadalajara, Jalisco, México, a los que se les levantó una encuesta con el informe de los padres en un cuestionario diseñado bajo los criterios que el DSM-IV considera para el diagnóstico de TDAH. Se recuperaron y analizaron 4399 cuestionarios. De acuerdo con el informe de los padres, el 8.9% de los niños tienen un perfil de conductas compatibles con los criterios del DSM-IV para el diagnóstico de TDAH. La proporción masculino:femenino fue de 2:1. La distribución por subtipos fue: 147 escolares con tipo combinado, 132 inatento y 114 del tipo hiperactivo-impulsivo. La prevalencia fue mayor del primero al tercer grado que del cuarto al sexto. La prevalencia de TDAH calculada se encuentra dentro del rango informado en otros países. Los estudios realizados en grandes muestras son útiles para diseñar estrategias de intervención acordes a la población en cuestión.AbstractAttention deficit with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequent neurodevelopmental disorders identified in children. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of ADHD behaviour in a sample of Mexican school-aged children. Data were obtained from 6639 pupils enrolled in public elementary schools in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Prevalence was based on parental reports collected using the full DSM-IV criteria. A total of 4399 questionnaires were received and analysed. According to the parents, 8.9% of the children met the DSM-IV ADHD criteria. The male:female ratio was 2:1. Distribution by subtypes was as follows: 147 children with combined type, 132 inattentive children, and 114 with the hyperactive-impulsive type. Prevalence was higher from first grade to third grade than it was from fourth to sixth grade. The calculated ADHD prevalence is consistent with the range reported by other countries. Studies conducted with large samples are useful in the design of intervention strategies in accordance with the target population