Haberstroh Stefan, Schulte-Körne Gerd
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Front Psychol. 2022 Mar 11;13:842391. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.842391. eCollection 2022.
Math difficulties (MD) manifest across various domain-specific and domain-general abilities. However, the existing cognitive profile of MD is incomplete and thus not applicable in typical settings such as schools or clinics. So far, no review has applied inclusion criteria according to DSM or ICD, summarized domain-specific abilities or examined the validity of response time scores for MD identification. Based upon stringent clinical criteria, the current meta-analysis included 34 studies which compared cognitive performances of a group with MD ( = 680) and a group without MD ( = 1565). Criteria according to DSM and ICD were applied to identify MD (percentile rank ≤ 16, age range 8-12 years, no comorbidities/low IQ). Effect sizes for 22 abilities were estimated and separated by their level and type of scoring (AC = accuracy, RT = response time). A cognitive profile of MD was identified, characterized by distinct weaknesses in: (a) computation (calculation [AC], fact retrieval [AC]), (b) number sense (quantity processing [AC], quantity-number linking [RT], numerical relations [AC]), and (c) visual-spatial short-term storage [AC]. No particular strength was found. Severity of MD, group differences in reading performance and IQ did not significantly moderate the results. Further analyses revealed that (a) effects are larger when dealing with numbers or number words than with quantities, (b) MD is not accompanied by any weakness in abilities typically assigned to reading, and (c) weaknesses in visual-spatial short-term storage emphasize the notion that number and space are interlinked. The need for high-quality studies investigating domain-general abilities is discussed.
数学困难（MD）体现在各种特定领域和一般领域的能力上。然而，现有的MD认知概况并不完整，因此不适用于学校或诊所等典型环境。到目前为止，尚无综述根据《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》（DSM）或《国际疾病分类》（ICD）应用纳入标准，总结特定领域的能力，或检验反应时间分数对MD识别的有效性。基于严格的临床标准，当前的荟萃分析纳入了34项研究，这些研究比较了一组患有MD（n = 680）和一组未患MD（n = 1565）的认知表现。应用DSM和ICD的标准来识别MD（百分等级≤16，年龄范围8 - 12岁，无合并症/低智商）。估计了22种能力的效应量，并根据其评分水平和类型进行了区分（AC = 准确性，RT = 反应时间）。确定了MD的认知概况，其特征在于在以下方面存在明显弱点：（a）计算（计算[AC]，事实检索[AC]），（b）数感（数量处理[AC]，数量 - 数字关联[RT]，数值关系[AC]），以及（c）视觉空间短期存储[AC]。未发现特定优势。MD的严重程度、阅读表现和智商的组间差异并未显著调节结果。进一步分析表明：（a）处理数字或数字词时的效应大于处理数量时的效应，（b）MD在通常归为阅读的能力方面没有任何弱点，（c）视觉空间短期存储方面的弱点强调了数字和空间相互关联的观点。讨论了开展高质量研究以调查一般领域能力的必要性。
