The time course of attentional focusing in dyslexic and normally reading children

• Published in: Brain and cognition 2003-11, Vol.53 (2), p.181-184
• Main Authors: Facoetti, Andrea, Lorusso, Maria Luisa, Paganoni, Pierluigi, Cattaneo, Carmen, Galli, Raffaella, Mascetti, Gian Gastone
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attention; Child; Cues; Dyslexia - physiopathology; Eye Movements - physiology; Female; Humans; Male; Parietal Lobe - physiopathology; Reaction Time; Space Perception - physiology; Visual Perception - physiology
• ISSN: 0278-2626; 1090-2147
• DOI: 10.1016/S0278-2626(03)00105-2

A cue size procedure was used to evaluate the time course of visuo-spatial attention in dyslexic and normally reading children. When a stimulus target is presented inside a large cue vs a small cue the identification time is slower. In the present study two cue-target delays (100 and 500 ms) were used. Results showed a slower time course of attentional focusing in dyslexics vs normal readers. Indeed, dyslexics exhibited no cue size effect at a shorter cue-target delay (100 ms), while it was present at a longer cue-target delay (500 ms). In contrast, a cue size effect was found at both cue-target delays in normally reading children. These results further support the hypothesis of sluggish automatic focusing of visual attention in dyslexics. This impairment could be a consequence of a general magnocellular deficit demonstrated previously in dyslexics.