Abstract
Learning disabled and normal control boys were compared in a reaction time task that required same-different judgments about the size or shape of visually presented geometric forms. In one condition, the subject was told which aspect (either size or shape) to judge before the presentation of the forms; in the other condition, the subject was told which aspect to judge after the forms were presented. The results indicated that the reaction times of the learning disabled boys were significantly slower than those of the normal controls in both conditions. Evidently, deficits in selectivity are characteristic of learning disabled boys at the levels of both sensory-perceptual input and short-term memory.
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The authors thank the staff, teachers, parents, and students of Dean Memorial Learning Center and St. John’s Episcopal School, both in Dallas, Texas, for their kind assistance and cooperation.
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Long, R.L., McIntyre, C.W. & Murray, M.E. Visual selective attention in learning disabled and normal boys. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 19, 15–18 (1982). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330027
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330027