Journal
CORTEX
Volume 83, Issue -, Pages 212-221Publisher
ELSEVIER MASSON
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.07.016
Keywords
Arithmetic abilities; Working memory; Blindness
Funding
- Canada Research Chair Program [230486]
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research [208769]
- Fonds Speciaux de Recherche of the Universite Catholique de Louvain (FSR)
- WBI World Grant
- European Research Council starting grant (MADVIS grant) [337573]
- European Research Council (ERC) [337573] Funding Source: European Research Council (ERC)
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Behavioural and neurophysiological evidence suggest that vision plays an important role in the emergence and development of arithmetic abilities. However, how visual deprivation impacts on the development of arithmetic processing remains poorly understood. We compared the performances of early (EB), late blind (LB) and sighted control (SC) individuals during various arithmetic tasks involving addition, subtraction and multiplication of various complexities. We also assessed working memory (WM) performances to determine if they relate to a blind person's arithmetic capacities. Results showed that EB participants performed better than LB and SC in arithmetic tasks, especially in conditions in which verbal routines and WM abilities are needed. Moreover, EB participants also showed higher WM abilities. Together, our findings demonstrate that the absence of developmental vision does not prevent the development of refined arithmetic skills and can even trigger the refinement of these abilities in specific tasks. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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