Examples
Arithmetic fluency
Arithmetic fluency measures how quickly and accurately a person can solve a series of basic arithmetic problems. We have two versions of the arithmetic fluency task: one is focused on basic addition, and the other one is focused on basic subtraction. In these tasks, participants see a series of basic arithmetic problems with solutions (for example, 8 + 8 = 18; 13 – 7 = 6), and they have to decide as quickly as possible if the solution is correct or incorrect by clicking “True” or “False”. They have 60 seconds to solve as many problems as they can.
Impairments in arithmetic skills are considered a core problem in dyscalculia.
Number line estimation
In this task, participants have to indicate the position of a series of numbers on a 0-100 or a 0-1000 number line by moving a marker.
Although a seemingly simple skill, number line estimation has been found to be highly predictive of more complex mathematics skills. Impairments in this skill have been found to be indicative of dyscalculia.​​
Visuo-spatial and verbal short-term memory and working memory
In the visuo-spatial memory tasks, participants see a frog appearing at different locations within a 3x3 matrix. At the end of the sequence, all locations within the sequence are marked by an image of a frog (as shown in the picture), and participants have to recall the order of locations within the sequence by clicking on the frog images. When measuring short-term memory, participants have to recall the sequence of locations in the order of presentation. When measuring working memory, they have to recall the sequence in reverse order.
We also measure verbal short-term memory and working memory in Numeralis. In these tasks, participants see a series of images of animals flashed up on the screen, and then all images presented together. They have to recall the order of presentation within the sequence by clicking on the animal images. When measuring short-term memory, participants have to recall the sequence of images in the order of presentation. When measuring working memory, they have to recall the sequence in reverse order.
Verbal and visuo-spatial short-term memory and working memory are important for mathematics, and impairments in these skills are commonly found in developmental disabilities, including dyscalculia.
Choice Reaction Time
In this task, participants are presented with three animal images, and they have to click on the image of the dog as quickly as possible.
We measure basic reaction times to be able to discriminate between generally slow processing speed vs. slow processing of numerical information, which is characteristic of mathematics learning difficulties and dyscalculia.
