Serrano Chica, F. , Lupiáñez, J. , Soccini, A. & Defior, S.
University of Granada
Developmental dyslexia is a persistent reading disability usually associated with phonological deficits. Recent research has also found alterations in attentional processes associated to this disorder. However, these results are still controversial and highly dependent on the specific paradigm being used. This study aims to investigate dyslexic attentional difficulties by comparing different aspects of attention in children with and without reading disabilities. Participants are 72 children with reading disabilities (dyslexic and poor readers) compared to children with the same chronological age and younger children with the same reading level (reading level-matched design). A reduced version of the ANTI task was used to independently measure, within a single experimental session, three main attentional functions usually associated with the three attentional networks proposed by Posner: Alerting (Vigilance Network), Orienting (Posterior network) and Cognitive control (Anterior network). Results showed an overall slowing in responding in dyslexic children, together with larger interference (i.e., reduced cognitive control), as compared to the control groups. The observed attentional deficits are discussed in the context of current theories of dyslexia.