Children's Attention Training Based On Attention Network Theory

Attention is considered to be one of the most important abilities of children in the learning process.The influence of children's attention on the future mathematical ability and fluid intelligence is still worth exploring.In recent years,research on attention training has gradually increased.Many studies have examined the effect of attention training on the transfer of other cognitive abilities,especially improving mathematical ability and fluid intelligence,but the research results are still controversial.This paper includes two studies.The first study mainly investigated the development of children's attention and the relationship between attention and mathematical ability and fluid intelligence.A total of 64 children aged 7?8 of a primary school in Shanghai were assessed for attention(Number Cancellation,Receptive Attention and Expressive Attention),mathematical ability(Number combinations,Procedural computation and Math problem-solving),and fluid intelligence(Non-verbal Matrix).The same tasks were tested one year later.Cross-lagged regression analysis was used to analyze the effect of first-year attention on second-year mathematical ability and fluid intelligence.The results show that 1.After one year,children's attention has increased significantly.2.Attention in the first year can significantly predict number combinations,procedural computation and math problem-solving in the second year,but attention in the first year does not significantly predict fluid intelligence in the second year;procedural computation in the first year can significantly predict attention in the second year,but number combinations and math problem-solving cannot significantly predict attention in the second year;fluid intelligence in the first year did not significantly predict attention in the second year.The second study is based on the attention network theory,which examines whether typically developing children's attention can be improved through cognitive training and transfer to mathematical ability and fluid intelligence.Fifty children aged 7?8 of a primary school in Shanghai were randomly divided into two groups:the training group and the control group.In addition to the tests which measured in the first study,the Ant-Child Test also used to evaluate the effectiveness of attention network.The training task aimed at training of the three subsystems of attention network,include alerting network,orientating network and executive network.Squirrel CPT Task was specialized training for alerting network;Visual Search Task was specialized training for orientating network;Arrow Flanker Task and Submarine Flanker Task were specialized training for executive network.The students in the training group received attention training for 15?20 minutes,2?3 times a week.The children in the control group were arrange self-study activities by teachers in the class After the training,the training group and the control group completed the same task as the pretest again.The near transfer effect of training on individual attention and the far transfer effect on mathematical ability and fluid intelligence were tested by repeated measure variance analysis.The results show that:(1)the interaction between time and group on the average reaction time(F(1,475.03,p<0.05,?p2-0.10)and executive network(F(1,47=4.49,p<0.05,?p2=0.09)of Ant-Child Test was significant.The posttest scores of the training group improved significantly,while that of the control group was not.However,in other attention tasks,the interaction between time and group were not significant;(2)in terms of the training effect on mathematical ability,significant interaction between time and group was detected on math problem-solving(F(1,47)=3.90,p=0.05,?p2=0.08).The posttest scores of the training group increased faster than those in the control group.However,there was no significant interaction between time and group on number combinations and procedural computation;(3)in terms of the training effect on fluid intelligence,there was no significant interaction between time and group on Non-verbal Matrix.In summary,7?8 years old children's attention can predict mathematical ability one year later,but cannot predict fluid intelligence.Through attention training,children's attention can be improved in the short term,and the performance of the executive network is improved.Attention training has a far transfer effect on mathematical problem-solving,but short-term attention training cannot improve fluid intelligence.