The effect of different stimulus attributes on the attentional performance of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia

The effect of landscape photograph type on aesthetic judgments, attention, and memory in children with dyslexia

“…Despite the memory disadvantage that the control sample exhibited in their ability to correctly distinguish familiar from unfamiliar photographs, both groups of children clearly recognized combined images the best after the long retention interval. Most importantly, the results support our hypothesis that the children with dyslexia would exhibit the largest memory advantage for combined after the long retention interval based on their propensity for selectively attending to unique features (Wang etal., ). Based on our memory results, it might be beneficial for educators to incorporate images with combined elements within the context of the learning environment in order to improve students' memory for contextual information, especially for children who have reading difficulties.…”

“…Also, given the smaller sample size, a word of caution is warranted regarding the reliability of our results. Although our sample size is similar to other previously published studies on children with reading difficulties (e.g.,Angelelli, Marinelli, De Salvatore,& Burani, ; Goodmon etal., ; Heim etal., ; Tafti etal., ; Tong, McBride, Lo,& Shu, ; Wang etal., ), future researchers may include larger samples sizes in order to increase the power needed to find statistically significant differences and improve the reliability of the conclusions.…”

“…Additionally, the sample was 91.26% Caucasian, 5.80% African American, and 2.90% Asian American. The sample of children with dyslexia in this study was similar in size, age, and demographics to a sample from a previously published study on the attention and behaviour of 10‐ to 11‐year‐old children with dyslexia (Goodmon etal., ), and the current sample is comparable with age cohorts and sample sizes used in studies on the relationships between dyslexia‐based visual processing and nonverbal stimuli (e.g.,Heim etal., ; Tafti etal., ; Wang etal., ).…”

“…A ceiling effect for all participants was predicted at the short retention interval due the fact that the study list of pictures was quite short (only nine items) and the task utilized to index memory performance was recognition, which is an easier than free recall. Finally, given their greater attention to unique stimuli (Wang etal., ), we also hypothesized the children with dyslexia would especially exhibit a memory advantage for combined photographs, even greater than that exhibited by the age‐equivalent controls. If the results support our hypotheses, then this research can serve as a reference for educators who may be encouraged to use particular images to either create more aesthetically pleasing learning environments or to create more attention grabbing and memorable learning environments for students with perceptual needs.…”

“…Another purpose was to determine which photographs captured their attention for a longer period of time and were remembered better after short and long retention intervals. Based on research showing greater selective attention for unique and different stimuli (Aitken& Hutt, ; Wang etal., ), it was hypothesized that the children would remember the combined photographs better (especially after the long retention interval). On the basis of the research showing that increased attention and memory are correlated (Brewer etal., ; Wagner etal., ), we also hypothesized that longer attention (i.e.,longer viewing times) would be related to memory performance after the long retention interval (Wang etal., ).…”