The neural mechanisms underlying individual differences in arithmetic fact learning: exploring the role of sensitivity-to-interference

A major building block for the successful development of mathematical competencies is the ability to acquire and retrieve arithmetic facts such as the multiplication table. There are large individual differences in this ability, and individuals with mathematical learning disorders or dyscalculia display deficits in this ability. However, the mechanisms underlying these individual differences are poorly understood. Recently, a new hypothesis has been proposed: the sensitivity to interference (STI) in memory hypothesis. When we are learning arithmetic facts at school, the storage of these facts in memory depends on the overlap between a new problem and the problems that are already stored: the more overlap (or interference), the more difficult it will be to memorize the new problem. Moreover, the higher the individual’s STI, the more difficulties he or she will have in learning these arithmetic facts. This project aims to investigate what mechanisms underlie the STI effect by combining behavioral data with data on brain activity, using the complementary expertise of the project partners in Leuven and Graz. We propose four work packages (6 studies) in which we investigate competence-related differences in the STI effect in children (with and without dyscalculia) and adults, the development of this effect in a training study in adults and a longitudinal study in children, and its malleability by influencing adults’ brain activity via non-invasive brain stimulation.