Abstract
Background: Number line estimation is one of the skills underlying mathematical performance. Previous research has shown that eye tracking is a valuable tool to investigate number line estimation strategies. Moreover, recent case studies have shown that eye tracking can be used to differentiate between children with dyscalculia and children without such a disorder.
Aims: The current study extends previous findings on number line estimation strategies using eye tracking to a larger group of children with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD).
Method: A group of 9-11 year old children with MLD (N=14) was compared to a control group of children without math difficulties (N=14) on a 0-100 and a 0-1000 number-to-position task. A Tobii T60 eye tracker was used to measure the children’s eye movements during task performance.
Results: The behavioral data showed that the children with MLD had higher error scores on both number lines than the children in the control group. The eye tracking data showed that the children with MLD made more use of the midpoint of the line as a reference point and adapted their strategies less to the number they had to estimate.
Conclusions: The eye movements show that children with math disabilities attend to different features of the number line than children without math difficulties. Children with math difficulties are probably less capable to adapt their strategy to the number that has to be estimated and make less efficient use of reference points for estimation.
Aims: The current study extends previous findings on number line estimation strategies using eye tracking to a larger group of children with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD).
Method: A group of 9-11 year old children with MLD (N=14) was compared to a control group of children without math difficulties (N=14) on a 0-100 and a 0-1000 number-to-position task. A Tobii T60 eye tracker was used to measure the children’s eye movements during task performance.
Results: The behavioral data showed that the children with MLD had higher error scores on both number lines than the children in the control group. The eye tracking data showed that the children with MLD made more use of the midpoint of the line as a reference point and adapted their strategies less to the number they had to estimate.
Conclusions: The eye movements show that children with math disabilities attend to different features of the number line than children without math difficulties. Children with math difficulties are probably less capable to adapt their strategy to the number that has to be estimated and make less efficient use of reference points for estimation.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Unpublished - Sept 2015 |
| Event | International Conference on Spatial Cognition 2015 - Rome, Italy Duration: 7 Sept 2015 → 11 Sept 2015 |
Conference
| Conference | International Conference on Spatial Cognition 2015 |
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| Country/Territory | Italy |
| City | Rome |
| Period | 7/09/15 → 11/09/15 |