This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Heiervang, E. Articles by Hugdahl, K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Heiervang, E. Articles by Hugdahl, K. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Impaired Visual Attention in Children with Dyslexia

University of Bergen, Norway

Kenneth Hugdahl

University of Bergen, Norway

Reading involves the correct and rapid identification of visual stimuli with letters and words. The processing of visual stimuli depends not only on the integrity of the peripheral and central visual system but also on the attentional systems involved. In the present study, a cue—target visual attention task was administered to a population-based sample of 25 children with dyslexia from 10 to 12 years of age. A control group matched for group size, age, and gender was obtained from the same general population. A two-stage screening process involved a spelling task of regular words followed by a battery of five single-word reading tasks. The cue—target task involved both a computer-controlled stimulus presentation and a computer-controlled measurement of reaction time. The data were analyzed by visual field, cue condition (valid, invalid, and no cue), and cue—target interval (CTI). The results showed a general pattern of slower responses in the dyslexia group compared to the control group. The dyslexia group also had longer reaction times in the short CTI condition (covert shift of attention) and in the long CTI condition (overt shift of attention). The findings may reflect a general attentional deficit to visual stimuli in dyslexia, possibly related to problems with the recruitment of necessary cognitive resources for the performance of complex reaction time tasks and for fluent reading.

Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 36, No. 1, 68-73 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/00222194030360010801


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H.-C. Huang and T.-Y. Wang Stimulus effects on cancellation task performance in children with and without dyslexia Behav Res Methods, May 1, 2009; 41(2): 539 - 545. [Abstract] [PDF]