scholarly journals No Evidence for an Association Between Variability in Sulcal Pattern and Academic Achievement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margot Roell ◽  
E. Bellon ◽  
B. Polspoel ◽  
M. Declercq ◽  
B. De Smedt
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Mathematical Ability ◽  
Brain Maturation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sulcal Morphology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Sulcal Pattern

Abstract Investigating how the brain may constrain academic achievement is not only relevant to understanding brain structure but also to providing insight into the origins of individual differences in these academic abilities. In this pre-registered study, we investigated whether the variability of sulcal patterns, a qualitative feature of the brain determined in-utero and not affected by brain maturation and learning, accounted for individual differences in reading and mathematics. Participants were 97 typically developing 10-year-olds. We examined (a) the association between the sulcal pattern of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and mathematical ability; (b) the association between the sulcal pattern of the occipitotemporal sulcus (OTS) and reading ability; and (c) the overlap and specificity of sulcal morphology of IPS and OTS and their associations with mathematics and reading. Despite its large sample, the present study was unable to replicate a previously observed relationship between the IPS sulcal pattern and mathematical ability and a previously observed association between the Left posterior OTS sulcal pattern and reading. We found no evidence for a possible overlap or specificity in the effect of sulcal morphology on mathematics and reading. Possible explanations for this absence of an association between sulcal morphology and academic achievement and suggestions for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals No Evidence for an Association Between Variability in Sulcal Pattern and Academic Achievement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margot Roell ◽  
E. Bellon ◽  
B. Polspoel ◽  
M. Declercq ◽  
B. De Smedt
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Mathematical Ability ◽  
Brain Maturation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sulcal Morphology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Sulcal Pattern

Abstract Investigating how the brain may constrain academic achievement is not only relevant to understanding brain structure but also to providing insight into the origins of individual differences in these academic abilities. In this pre-registered study, we investigated whether the variability of sulcal patterns, a qualitative feature of the brain determined in-utero and not affected by brain maturation and learning, accounted for individual differences in reading and mathematics. Participants were 97 typically developing 10-year-olds. We examined (a) the association between the sulcal pattern of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and mathematical ability; (b) the association between the sulcal pattern of the occipitotemporal sulcus (OTS) and reading ability; and (c) the overlap and specificity of sulcal morphology of IPS and OTS and their associations with mathematics and reading. Despite its large sample, the present study was unable to replicate a previously observed relationship between the IPS sulcal pattern and mathematical ability and a previously observed association between the Left posterior OTS sulcal pattern and reading. We found no evidence for a possible overlap or specificity in the effect of sulcal morphology on mathematics and reading. Possible explanations for this absence of an association between sulcal morphology and academic achievement and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Verbal Factors and Mathematics Learning: A Review of Research

1971 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 304-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lewis R. Aiken
Keyword(s):  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Mathematics Classroom ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Mathematical Ability ◽  
General Intelligence ◽  
Verbal Interactions ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
And Mathematics

Recent investigations pertaining to the importance of verbal factors in the learning of mathematics are reviewed. The paper is divided into 3 sections: (a) the relationships of mathematical ability to reading ability and general intelligence, (b) reading instruction and mathematics learning, and (c) student and teacher verbalizations. The importance of general intelligence for mathematics achievement is recognized, but the evidence for a group factor of mathematical ability is not convincing. Training in careful, analytical reading appears to have a beneficial effect on achievement in mathematics, but more controlled experiments with larger samples need to be conducted. The influence of verbalizing awareness of mathematical generalizations and the effects of teacher–student verbal interactions in mathematics classroom settings are other promising directions for research. Finally, an appeal is made for long–term multivariate investigations rather than piecemeal, one–shot studies.

The Tell-Tale Hand

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Voracek ◽  
Stefanie Pavlovic
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Digit Ratio ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fourth Digit ◽  
Brain And Behavior ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Intense Research ◽  
Anatomical Trait

Abstract. The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D), an inconspicuous, but sexually differentiated anatomical trait (men present lower 2D:4D than women), has received intense research interest recently. Fairly strong evidence points to 2D:4D as a biomarker for the organizational (permanent) effects of prenatal testosterone on the brain and behavior. 2D:4D has been shown to be a correlate of a wealth of sex-dependent, hormonally influenced traits and phenotypes, which reach into the domains of behavior, fertility, health, physique, sexuality, and sports and also deeply into differential psychology (ability, cognition, and personality). This study investigated whether individual differences in 2D:4D are related to individual differences in attractiveness, sex typicality, and other attributes ascribed to palm images by raters. For both sexes, more sex-atypical trait expressions (i.e., higher 2D:4D in male, but lower 2D:4D in female palm specimens) were related to higher aggregate ratings of attractiveness, healthiness, sexiness, imagined handshake pleasantness, and imagined person dominance, albeit only the last association achieved formal statistical significance with two-tailed testing. These findings suggest that 2D:4D might be a correlate of perceived dominance and possibly also of other attributes. Digit ratio associations with sex-typicality ratings (sex-of-hand judgments and perceived palm masculinity and femininity) were inconsistent and mostly of smaller size. Finger lengths (2D and 4D) were generally more strongly and consistently related to palm attributes than 2D:4D was. Implications of the findings, study limitations, and directions for future research are considered.

Individual Differences in Young Children’s Spatial Ability: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelcida Llissett Garcia ◽  
LaTreese Hall ◽  
Shannon M. Pruden
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Mathematics Ability ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Language Influence

Individual differences in children’s spatial ability, both intrinsic and extrinsic, emerge in early childhood, with preschool- and school-age children showing a great deal of variability on spatial tasks that continue throughout life. These individual differences are predictive of children’s mathematics ability and achievement, children’s science ability and achievement, and later entry and success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Thus, the identification of factors that affect individual differences in and development of children’s spatial ability is not only important for the advancement of theory but may also help us to identify barriers to successful STEM achievement. There is extensive literature suggesting that child characteristics such as motor skill, working memory and executive function, spatial anxiety, spatial play, teacher characteristics such as spatial anxiety and spatial competence, and parent characteristics including their own spatial ability and production of spatial language influence children’s spatial ability. This systematic review aims to outline mechanisms that explain the development of individual differences in children’s intrinsic and extrinsic spatial ability. As part of this systematic review of current literature, we introduce a framework for how individual differences in children’s spatial thinking develops. Lastly, we will discuss limitations of the existing literature and suggest directions for future research.

scholarly journals Individual Differences in Brain Responses: New Opportunities for Tailoring Health Communication Campaigns

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Huskey ◽  
Benjamin O. Turner ◽  
René Weber
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Message Processing ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Message Tailoring ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Brain

Prevention neuroscience investigates the brain basis of attitude and behavior change. Over the years, an increasingly structurally and functionally resolved “persuasion network” has emerged. However, current studies have only identified a small handful of neural structures that are commonly recruited during persuasive message processing, and the extent to which these (and other) structures are sensitive to numerous individual difference factors remains largely unknown. In this project we apply a multi-dimensional similarity-based individual differences analysis to explore which individual factors—including characteristics of messages and target audiences—drive patterns of brain activity to be more or less similar across individuals encountering the same anti-drug public service announcements (PSAs). We demonstrate that several ensembles of brain regions show response patterns that are driven by a variety of unique factors. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for neural models of persuasion, prevention neuroscience and message tailoring, and methodological implications for future research.

scholarly journals The Development of Executive Function in Autism

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Pellicano
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Adaptive Behavior ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Outcome Relationship ◽  
Behavioral Features

Autism is a common and often highly debilitating neurodevelopmental condition, whose core behavioral features are believed to be rooted in disrupted neurocognitive processes, including especially “executive function.” Researchers have predominantly focused upon understanding the putative causal relationship between difficulties in EF and autistic symptomatology. This paper suggests, however, that the effects of individual differences in EF should be more far-reaching, playing a significant part in the real-life outcomes of individuals with autism, including their social competence, everyday adaptive behavior, and academic achievement. It further considers the nature of the EF-outcome relationship, including the possible determinants of individual differences in EF, and makes several recommendations for future research.

Using neuroimaging to predict brain age: insights into typical and atypical development and risk for psychopathology

2020 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 400-403
Author(s):  
Carmela Díaz-Arteche ◽  
Divyangana Rakesh
Keyword(s):  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Brain Maturation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Atypical Development ◽  
And Function ◽  
Brain Age ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Age Prediction

Childhood and adolescence are characterized by complex patterns of changes in brain structure and function. Recently, Truelove-Hill et al. (Truelove-Hill M, Erus G, Bashyam V, Varol E, Sako C, Gur RC, Gur RE, Koutsouleris N, Zhuo C, Fan Y, Wolf DH, Satterthwaite TD, Davatzikos C. J Neurosci 40: 1265–1275, 2020) used a novel machine learning algorithm to capture the subtle nuances of brain maturation during adolescence in two indices based on predicted brain age. In this article, we present an overview of the brain age prediction model used, provide further insight into the utility of this multimodal index to explore typical and atypical development, and discuss avenues for future research.

The association between physical fitness and mathematics scores in elementary schools in Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 70-77
Author(s):  
Dinar Dinangsit ◽  
Tatang Muhtar ◽  
Yogi Akin
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Physical Fitness Test ◽  
Major Barrier ◽  
Mathematics Scores ◽  
Test Items ◽  
And Mathematics

A continual pressure within the educational system in Indonesia to focus on high levels of academic achievement is a major barrier to implementing an effective physical education curriculum in Indonesia. The conflict between the implementation of a movement based approach (MBA) and a sport based approach (SBA) presents another continuing problem. The current approach leads more to an orientation towards the acquisition of sport skills rather than the attainment of objectives of cognitive development. This study is aimed to reveal the association between the physical fitness and academic achievement of children in Sumedang, West Java. Four physical fitness test items and a specially constructed mathematics test were administered to 265 children from grades four and five. The ability of performance on the physical fitness tests to predict performance in mathematics was calculated by linear multipleregression analysis. The findings revealed that there was a significant association, although low, between the physical fitness components and mathematics achievement. Sit ups and squat jumps showed low partial correlations and the relationships for push ups and the 400 metre run were negative Limitations in the ability of the children to perform the tests were suggested as an explanation for the mixed results. It was argued that this weakness served to emphasise the importance of giving greater priority to physical education and the quality of its teaching within the school curriculum.

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