Biomedical subjects

P Macaruso

Publications and source records attributed to P Macaruso.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1997

Mental calculation in an autistic savant: a case study.

We present a detailed investigation of mental calculation in RH, an autistic savant. In Experiment 1 RH performed faster and more accurately than control subjects in mentally solving multi-digit multiplication problems. However, we found no evidence that RH employed short-cut strategies to solve these problems. His response times were consistent with application of a left-to-right computational procedure employed by expert calculators. He also responded extremely quickly to 2-digit squares, suggesting that he may have memorized the answers. In Experiment 2 we taught RH a new computational algorithm for converting temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit. RH was able to learn the new algorithm, but required much assistance and made only slight gains with practice. RH did not recognize an easy solution strategy based on inverting steps in the conversion algorithm. We suggest that the inflexible nature of RH's performance may reflect his autistic tendencies coupled with limited intelligence.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Representing and using numerical information.

Issues of mental representation are central to cognitive psychology and indeed to psychology in general. This article synthesizes recent theoretical and empirical research concerning cognitive representations in one specific domain, that of numbers. First, several forms of cognitive numerical representation are defined, and the roles the various forms may play in numerical processing are considered. Then, two current representational issues that have generated some controversy are examined: In what form are arithmetic table facts (e.g., 4 x 7 = 28) stored in memory, and what forms of representation are involved in converting numerals from one form to another (as in reading 604 aloud as "six hundred four")? In the course of the discussion the major current theories of numerical cognition are described, with emphasis on how they differ in their assumptions about numerical representations and how these differences are reflected in the positions taken on various specific issues.

Cognition↗

PubMed1991

Theory-based assessment of acquired dyscalculia.

This article describes a theory-based approach to assessment of acquired dyscalculia. A model of the normal cognitive number-processing/calculation system is presented, and methods are discussed for characterizing number-processing/calculation deficits in terms of functional damage to the mechanisms specified in the model.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comprehension of temporal terms by good and poor readers.

Poor beginning readers often have difficulty comprehending spoken sentences with complex syntactic structures. This study attempts to identify the reasons for this difficulty. Second-grade good and poor readers were tested for comprehension of spoken sentences containing the temporal terms before and after. Processing load was varied systematically while holding syntax constant in an effort to determine whether processing factors contribute to poor readers' comprehension problems, or whether poor readers are simply lacking the structural knowledge required to understand sentences containing temporal terms. The poor readers' high level of performance under conditions of reduced processing demands suggests that their misinterpretations in spoken language understanding may be due, in large part, to limitations in verbal working memory.

Attention↗