Visual Motion and Decision-Making in Dyslexia: Reduced Accumulation of Sensory Evidence and Related Neural Dynamics

Journal article

Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) exhibit longer reaction times (RTs) than age-matched neurotypical children. Drift diffusion models estimate parameters influencing RT distributions: drift-rate represents speed of information accumulation, non-decision time represents other factors contributing to longer RTs, e.g., poor attention or motor coordination. Using a hierarchical Bayesian framework, we modeled RT data from visual search and mental rotation tasks completed by 3rd graders (N = 248). Children with impaired verbal abilities without accompanying nonverbal impairment (DLD) and those with global verbal/nonverbal impairments were compared to neurotypical children. Across tasks, children with DLD exhibited a lower drift rate than neurotypical children, indicating slower information accumulation, and no difference in non-decision time. Children with global impairments showed lower drift rates and higher non-decision times than neurotypical children. Results suggest directions for nuanced tests of the generalized slowing hypothesis of DLD. Clinical implications for diagnosis and treatment of DLD are discussed

Authors: Manning, C; Hassall, CD; Hunt, LT; Norcia, AM; Wagenmakers, E-J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Society for Neuroscience
• Journal: The Journal of Neuroscience
• Volume: 42
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 121-134
• Publication date: 2021-11-15
• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1232-21.2021
• EISSN: 1529-2401
• ISSN: 0270-6474
• Language: English
• Keywords: Cognition; Multisensory integration; Visual perception; Dyslexia; Sensory system; Motion perception; Perception; Coherence (philosophical gambling strategy); Motion (physics)