Sprach- und Leseunterschiede zwischen portugiesischen Migrantenkindern mit und ohne Klassenwiederholung in Luxemburg.

in University of Luxembourg, LUCET; Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de l’Enfance et de la Jeunesse, SCRIPT, (Eds.) Nationaler Bildungsbericht Luxemburg 2021 (2021)

Antônio ist ein Junge aus Luxemburg im schulpflichtigen Alter. Er wird demnächst Lesen und Schreiben lernen. Antônios Eltern sind Portugiesen, und zu Hause sprechen sie nur ihre Muttersprache. In Cycle 1 ... [more ▼]

Antônio ist ein Junge aus Luxemburg im schulpflichtigen Alter. Er wird demnächst Lesen und Schreiben lernen. Antônios Eltern sind Portugiesen, und zu Hause sprechen sie nur ihre Muttersprache. In Cycle 1 (Vorschule) hat Antônio Luxemburgisch sprechen gelernt. Seit er in der Vorschule mit der Sprache in Berührung gekommen ist, hat er sich einen großen Wortschatz in Luxemburgisch angeeignet. Wortschatzkenntnisse gehören zu den wichtigsten Voraussetzungen für das Lesen (Lervåg & Aukrust, 2010). Kinder, die das Lesenlernen mit umfangreicheren Wortschatzkenntnissen beginnen, haben bessere Chancen auf Lernerfolge beim Lesen. Für Kinder in Luxemburg ist es eine große Herausforderung, dass der Schriftspracherwerb in Deutsch erfolgt, das für die meisten von ihnen eine Fremdsprache ist, und nicht in Luxemburgisch, also der Sprache, die sie zuvor in Cycle 1 gelernt haben. [less ▲]

Automatic Integration of Numerical Formats Examined with Frequency-tagged EEG

in Scientific Reports (2021)

How humans integrate and abstract numerical information across different formats is one of the most debated questions in human cognition. We addressed the neuronal signatures of the numerical integration ... [more ▼]

How humans integrate and abstract numerical information across different formats is one of the most debated questions in human cognition. We addressed the neuronal signatures of the numerical integration using an EEG technique tagged at the frequency of visual stimulation. In an oddball design, participants were stimulated with standard sequences of numbers (<5) depicted in single (digits, dots, number words) or mixed notation (dots – digits, number words – dots, digits – number words), presented at 10Hz. Periodically, a deviant stimulus (>5) was inserted at 1.25 Hz. We observed significant oddball amplitudes for all single notations, showing for the first time using this EEG technique, that the magnitude information is spontaneously and unintentionally abstracted, irrespectively of the numerical format. Significant amplitudes were also observed for digits – number words and number words – dots, but not for digits – dots, suggesting an automatic integration across some numerical formats. These results imply that direct and indirect neuro-cognitive links exist across the different numerical formats. [less ▲]

The Mediation role of ADHD Symptoms and Emotion Regulation in the association between Executive functions and internalizing Symptoms: A study among youths with and without ADHD and/of Dyslexia

in Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders (2021), 5

Objectives The present study aimed at combining previous separate research findings having shown that executive functions (EF) contribute to a large range of emotional and behavioral problems among youths ... [more ▼]

Objectives The present study aimed at combining previous separate research findings having shown that executive functions (EF) contribute to a large range of emotional and behavioral problems among youths with and without neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia and ADHD. Within a unifying framework, it investigated the mediational roles of ADHD symptoms and emotion regulation (ER) difficulties in the association between various EF and internalizing symptoms. Methods The sample included 82 adolescents with ADHD, dyslexia, comorbid ADHD/dyslexia, and typically developing adolescents, thus showing varying EF deficits. Whereas EF (attentional control, inhibition, shifting, working memory) were assessed in behavioral tasks, parents reported on ADHD symptoms, and ER and internalizing (anxiety, depression) symptoms were assessed via self-reports. Results In two-path mediation analyses, ADHD symptoms and ER problems mediated the association between working memory and anxiety (via inattention and ER, a1d21b2 = − .27, 95% CI [− .58, − .04]; via hyperactivity and ER, a1d21b2 = − .19, 95% CI [− .42, − .02]) and depression symptoms (via inattention and ER, a1d21b2 = − .20, 95% CI [− .54, − .03]; via hyperactivity and ER, a1d21b2 = − .24, 95% CI [− .48, − .03]). Hyperactivity and ER, but not inattention and ER, mediated the association between inhibition and internalizing symptoms (predicting anxiety, a1d21b2 = .003, 95% CI [.0001, .009]; predicting depression, a1d21b2 = .004, 95% CI [.002, .009]) as well as between attentional control and internalizing symptoms (predicting anxiety, a1d21b2 = .01, 95% CI [.001, .03]; predicting depression, a1d21b2 = .01, 95% CI [.004, .03]). Conclusions These results offer an insight into how ADHD symptoms and ER problems mediate the association between EF components and internalizing symptoms, with potential implications for prevention and intervention measures. [less ▲]

Lernstörungen im multilingualen Kontext: Diagnose und Hilfestellungen.

Book published by Melusina Press (2021)

Um Kinder mit einer Lernstörung durch möglichst angepasste Hilfsmaßnahmen unterstützen zu können, ist eine umfassende Diagnostik maßgeblich. Die Diagnostik von Lernstörungen stellt vor allem in ... [more ▼]

Um Kinder mit einer Lernstörung durch möglichst angepasste Hilfsmaßnahmen unterstützen zu können, ist eine umfassende Diagnostik maßgeblich. Die Diagnostik von Lernstörungen stellt vor allem in multilingualen Kontexten - wie in Luxemburg - eine Herausforderung dar. Auch werden derzeit vorwiegend im Ausland entwickelte diagnostische Tests durchgeführt, welche die luxemburgischen Besonderheiten, wie etwa das Erlernen der schriftsprachlichen und mathematischen Kompetenzen in einer Zweit- oder Drittsprache, nicht berücksichtigen. Ausgehend vom aktuellen Forschungs- und Wissensstand wird ein vertieftes Verständnis im Hinblick auf Lese- und Rechtschreibstörungen und Rechenstörungen dargelegt. Darauf aufbauend werden diagnostische Vorgehensweisen sowie pädagogische Hilfsmaßnahmen mithilfe von Erfahrungswerten praktizierender Fachkräfte aus dem luxemburgischen Förderbereich vorgestellt. [less ▲]

Rechenstörungen

in Ugen, Sonja; Schiltz, Christine; Fischbach, Antoine (Eds.) et al Lernstörungen im multilingualen Kontext: Diagnose und Hilfestellungen (2021)

Developmental changes in neural letter-selectivity: A 1-year follow-up of beginning readers

in Developmental science (2021), 24(1), 12999

Harmonic amplitude summation for frequency-tagging analysis

in Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (2021)

In the approach of frequency tagging, stimuli that are presented periodically generate periodic responses of the brain. Following a transformation into the frequency domain, the brain’s response is often ... [more ▼]

In the approach of frequency tagging, stimuli that are presented periodically generate periodic responses of the brain. Following a transformation into the frequency domain, the brain’s response is often evident at the frequency of stimulation, F, and its higher harmonics (2F, 3F, etc.). This approach is increasingly used in neuroscience, as it affords objective measures to characterize brain function. However, whether these specific harmonic frequency responses should be combined for analysis, and if so, how, remains an outstanding issue. In most studies, higher harmonic responses have not been described or were described only individually; in other studies, harmonics have been combined with various approaches, e.g., averaging and root mean squared summation. A rationale for these approaches in the context of frequency-based analysis principles, and understanding of how they relate to the brain’s response amplitudes in the time domain, has been missing. Here, with these elements addressed, the summation of (baseline-corrected) harmonic amplitude is recommended. [less ▲]

LEARN Newsletter - Editioun 2021

Book published by LEARN (2021)

Varying stimulus duration reveals consistent neural activity and behavior for human face individuation

in Neuroscience (2021), 472

Establishing consistent relationships between neural activity and behavior is a challenge in human cognitive neuroscience research. We addressed this issue using variable time constraints in an oddball ... [more ▼]

Establishing consistent relationships between neural activity and behavior is a challenge in human cognitive neuroscience research. We addressed this issue using variable time constraints in an oddball frequency-sweep design for visual discrimination of complex images (face exemplars). Sixteen participants viewed sequences of ascending presentation durations, from 25 to 333 ms (40–3 Hz stimulation rate) while their electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Throughout each sequence, the same unfamiliar face picture was repeated with variable size and luminance changes while different unfamiliar facial identities appeared every 1 s (1 Hz). A neural face individuation response, tagged at 1 Hz and its unique harmonics, emerged over the occipito-temporal cortex at 50 ms stimulus duration (25–100 ms across individuals), with an optimal response reached at 170 ms stimulus duration. In a subsequent experiment, identity changes appeared non-periodically within fixed-frequency sequences while the same participants performed an explicit face individuation task. The behavioral face individuation response also emerged at 50 ms presentation time, and behavioral accuracy correlated with individual participants’ neural response amplitude in a weighted middle stimulus duration range (50–125 ms). Moreover, the latency of the neural response peaking between 180 and 200 ms correlated strongly with individuals’ behavioral accuracy in this middle duration range, as measured independently. These observations point to the minimal (50 ms) and optimal (170 ms) stimulus durations for human face individuation and provide novel evidence that inter-individual differences in the magnitude and latency of early, high-level neural responses are predictive of behavioral differences in performance at this function. [less ▲]

The Mediating Role of ADHD Symptoms and Emotion Regulation in the Association Between Executive Functions and Internalizing Symptoms: a Study Among Youths with and Without ADHD and/or Dyslexia

in Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders (2021), 5(4), 396--412