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The selective attention of learning-disabled children: three studies
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
|September 1, 1984
Summary
Learning-disabled children struggle with selective attention tasks, showing slower processing and difficulty ignoring distractions. Verbalization did not improve performance, but learning-disabled children learned more incidentally than their peers.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Special Education
Background:
- Selective attention is crucial for cognitive development and academic success.
- Learning-disabled (LD) children often exhibit deficits in executive functions, including attention.
- Understanding these deficits is key to developing effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the selective attention abilities of learning-disabled (LD) children.
- To compare the performance of LD and non-LD children on attention-demanding tasks.
- To explore potential interventions for improving attention in LD children.
Main Methods:
- Three studies were conducted involving LD and non-LD children.
- Tasks included the Speeded Classification task and the Central-Incidental Learning Task.
- One study explored the effect of verbalization as an attentional strategy.
Main Results:
- LD children were slower and less accurate than non-LD children on the Speeded Classification task.
- LD children did not improve accuracy over trials, unlike non-LD children.
- Verbalization did not enhance performance in LD children; LD children showed better incidental learning than non-LD children.
Conclusions:
- LD children exhibit significant challenges in selective attention and processing speed.
- Current verbalization strategies may not be effective for improving attention in LD populations.
- LD children demonstrate unique learning patterns, particularly in incidental learning.