Table 1.
Summary of the behavioural results, also partly reported elsewhere (Sella, Sader, Lolliot, & Cohen Kadosh, 2016).
| Cognitive category | Test | Controls μ ± σ | Mathematicians μ ± σ | Score range | Statistical test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | IQ test (PIQ section) | 114.8 ± 8.4 | 126.2 ± 6.3 | μ = 100, σ = 15 | t(36) = 4.71∗∗∗ |
| IQ test (VIQ section) | 130.0 ± 5.2 | 124.1 ± 12.9 | μ = 100, σ = 15 | n.s. (t(36) = 1.85, p = .073) | |
| Working memory | Digit span (forward) | 11.2 ± 2.2 | 11.1 ± 2.7 | 0 to 16 | n.s. (p = .95) |
| Digit span (backward) | 7.6 ± 2.4 | 9.3 ± 2.2 | 0 to 14 | t(36) = 2.26∗ | |
| Letter span (forward) | 9.2 ± 1.5 | 10.3 ± 1.3 | 0 to 16 | t(36) = 2.16∗ | |
| Attention | ANT:alerting | 18.1 ± 27.3 | 19.4 ± 18.0 | -∞ to ∞ | n.s. (p = .85) |
| ANT:orienting | 61.0 ± 34.7 | 58.1 ± 26.6 | -∞ to ∞ | n.s. (p = .77) | |
| ANT:executive | 100.7 ± 34.8 | 98.9 ± 35.0 | -∞ to ∞ | n.s. (p = .87) | |
| Mental imagery | Mental rotation task (MRT) | 10.4 ± 4.3 | 14.8 ± 4.2 | 0 to 24 | t(36) = 3.20∗∗∗ |
| Numerical skills | Number acuity (w) | .20 ± .10 | .21 ± .13 | 0 to ∞ | n.s. (p = .74) |
| Number line (positive numbers) | 62.2 ± 25.8 | 40.8 ± 14.3 | 0 to ∞ | Mann–Whitney Test: Z = 2.86∗∗ | |
| Number line (negative numbers) | 59.7 ± 29.7 | 54.0 ± 23.7 | 0 to ∞ | n.s. (p = .52) | |
| Numerical Stroop | .09 ± .08 | .10 ± .04 | −1 to 1 | n.s. (p = .93) | |
| Numerical agility | 2.3 ± 2.6 | 6.5 ± 0.9 | 0 to 10 | Mann–Whitney Test: Z = 4.16∗∗∗ | |
| Numerical strategies | 19.4 ± 7.6 | 31.7 ± 5.2 | 0 to 40 | t(36) = 3.50∗∗ | |
| Arithmetic task | 13.2 ± 2.1 | 15.4 ± 2.0 | 0 to 22 | t(36) = 3.29∗∗ | |
| Logic | Wason logic task | .1 ± 0.3 | .6 ± 0.5 | 0 or 1 | Fisher's exact p = .01, two-tailed |
| Verbal reasoning | Verbal reasoning task | 5.5 ± 1.4 | 5.9 ± 2.7 | 0 to 10 | F(1,35) = 5.51∗ |
| Social skills | Emotion recognition task | .94 ± .05 | .93 ± .06 | 0 to 1 | n.s. (p = .73) |
| Gaze task | .93 ± .10 | .94 ± .06 | 0 to 1 | n.s. (p = .66) | |
| Face recognition task | 48.5 ± 5.0 | 47.9 ± 2.8 | 0 to 54 | n.s. (p = .66) | |
| Autism spectrum quotient (ASQ) | 18.3 ± 7.3 | 18.1 ± 4.7 | 0 to 50 | n.s. (p = .94) | |
| Arithmetic strategies questionnaire | Visuo-spatial | 5.21 ± 3.31 | 7.67 ± 2.74 | 1 to 10 | F(1, 24) = 4.14, p = .053 |
| Inner verbalisation | 3.29 ± 2.46 | 2.08 ± 1.31 | 1 to 10 | n.s. (p = .14) | |
| Outer verbalisation | 6.29 ± 2.58 | 6.00 ± 2.17 | 1 to 10 | n.s. (p = .77) | |
| Kinaesthetic | 4.93 ± 2.87 | 2.67 ± 1.50 | 1 to 10 | F(1, 24) = 6.03∗ |
Tests with significant group differences are printed in bold letters.
*p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.