FACT-RETRIEVAL AUTOMATIZATION AND MATH PROBLEM-SOLVING BY LEARNING-DISABLED, ATTENTION-DISORDERED, AND NORMAL ADOLESCENTS

Learning disabled, attention-disordered, and normal adolescents were assessed with two performance measures and three behavioral measures, recorded while the Ss worked on math problems. Differences were found between the combined experimental and comparison groups in retrieval speed for each operation, but not in accuracy. Off-task attention contributed to the slower speeds of Ss only during multiplication. Rapid fact retrieval was the only significant predictor of the number of correct answers to word problems. Because of the statistical and procedural controls used (IQ, reading skill, and initial math ability), experimental vs. control group differences in problem solving were demonstrated only for specific types of word problems. Overall, these findings support theoretical predictions that attention-disordered and learning disabled children have difficulty with repetitive stimuli, which contributes to basic- and advanced-level math deficits.