The Influence Of Endogenous Attention And Exogenous Attention On Number Distance Effect Of Children With Math Learning Difficulties And Normal Children: A Study Of Eye Movements

At any time,our senses will receive a lot of information.However,to be effective,our actions must point to a single location or object at a time.Therefore,we need a selection mechanism to filter and deepen the relevant information so that we can respond in the appropriate way,which is the visual selective attention.Visual selective attention is divided into endogenous attention and exogenous attention.Previous research suggests that there is a fundamental link between number processing and spatial attention.One of the most frequently used markers in research on numerical cognition is the number distance effect.However,whether endogenous attention and exogenous attention differentially affected mathematics learning difficulties children and math normal children's digital processing has not yet been rigorously studied.This study used eye movement techniques and explored this problem by combining the Posner cueing paradigm and number comparison task.Experiment 1(endogenous attention)and experiment 2(exogenous attention)are used 4(number distances: 1,2,3,4)× 2(clue validity: valid / invalid)× 2(academic type: math learning difficulties children / math normal children)mixed design.The effects of endogenous attention and exogenous attention on the number distance effects of children with math learning difficulties and normal children were analyzed by the reaction time and eye movement data.The results of reaction time showed that:(1)The number distance effect was found in both children with learning difficulties and normal children,both in the condition of endogenous attention and exogenous attention,indicating that the reaction time decreased with the increase of the number distance.(2)Children with learning difficulties in mathematics have longer reaction times than the normal children in mathematics.(3)Both in endogenous attention,RTs were no significant difference between cued location and uncued location.However,in exogenous attention,RTs were shorter at the cued location than at the uncued location.(4)Both in valid endogenous attention and in valid exogenous attention,we found the number distance effect in children with learning difficulties in mathematics and the normal children in mathematics.In invalid endogenous attention,we found the number distance effect in children with learning difficulties in mathematics and the normal children in mathematics;in invalid exogenous attention,we found the number distance effect just in the normal children in mathematics,while children with mathematical learning difficulties did not show a significant number distance effect.The results of eye movement data showed that:(1)In endogenous attention,fixation count ? saccade count ? pupil size of children with math learning difficulties were significantly higher than those of normal children in mathematics;In exogenous attention,fixation count?saccade count?pupil size of children with math learning difficulties were no significant difference between those of normal children in mathematics.(2)Both in endogenous attention and exogenous attention,there were attentional cuing effect on fixation count and saccade count,indicating fixation count?saccade count at the cued location were significantly lower than those at the uncued location.