Numerical Magnitude Processing in Deaf Adolescents and Its Contribution to Arithmetical Ability

Chen, Lilan; Wang, Yan; Wen, Hongbo · 2021 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.584183

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Summary

This study investigates numerical magnitude processing and its contribution to arithmetical ability in deaf adolescents, specifically examining differences between those with congenital and acquired deafness. Motivated by the "compensatory plasticity" hypothesis, which suggests that auditory deprivation may enhance visual cognition, the researchers aimed to determine if deaf individuals rely more heavily on visual numerical representations. The study also sought to clarify whether numerical magnitude processing predicts arithmetic performance in deaf populations, a relationship well-established in hearing individuals but less understood in deaf contexts. The study included 112 deaf adolescents (58 with congenital deafness and 54 with acquired deafness) and 58 hearing adolescents. Participants completed a battery of computerized cognitive and mathematical tasks, including symbolic and non-symbolic numerical magnitude comparison, simple and complex subtraction, non-verbal IQ assessment, processing speed tests, and reading comprehension tasks. Statistical analyses, including repeated measures ANOVAs and hierarchical regression, were conducted to compare group performance and examine the predictive role of numerical magnitude processing on arithmetic computation, while controlling for demographic variables and general cognitive abilities. The results indicated that the congenital deaf group outperformed the acquired deaf group in both numerical magnitude processing (reaction time) and arithmetic computation. However, there were no significant differences between the congenital deaf group and the hearing group in these domains. Gender differences were observed, with boys demonstrating higher accuracy in numerical magnitude processing than girls. Crucially, numerical magnitude processing was closely associated with arithmetic computation across all deaf adolescents. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that after controlling for age, gender, hearing loss onset, non-verbal IQ, processing speed, and reading comprehension, numerical magnitude processing significantly predicted arithmetic computation for the entire deaf sample. However, this predictive relationship was not significant when analyzing the congenital deaf group alone, suggesting distinct cognitive mechanisms may underlie their performance. The findings suggest that while congenital deafness does not impair numerical magnitude processing relative to hearing peers, it may confer an advantage over acquired deafness, potentially due to earlier reliance on visual cognitive strategies. The study highlights the critical role of numerical magnitude representation in the mathematical development of deaf adolescents. These results imply that educational interventions aimed at improving arithmetical ability in deaf students should explicitly target and strengthen both symbolic and non-symbolic numerical magnitude processing skills.

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• perceptual processing