Subtraction Bugs in an Acalculic Patient

We report a patient, MT, who presented a specific, though not isolated, deficit in written calculation. Despite a preserved knowledge of simple arithmetic — single-digit addition and subtraction — he failed systematically in multi-digit subtraction. The nature of errors was consistent across problem...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inCortex Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 547 - 555
Main Authors Girelli, Luisa, Delazer, Margarete
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Italy Elsevier Ltd 01.09.1996
Subjects
Aphasia - physiopathology
Aphasia - psychology
Brain Damage, Chronic - physiopathology
Brain Damage, Chronic - psychology
Cerebral Cortex - physiopathology
Cerebral Infarction - physiopathology
Cerebral Infarction - psychology
Dominance, Cerebral - physiology
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Male
Mathematics
Middle Aged
Problem Solving - physiology
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN0010-9452
1973-8102
DOI10.1016/S0010-9452(96)80011-6

Cover

More Information
Summary:We report a patient, MT, who presented a specific, though not isolated, deficit in written calculation. Despite a preserved knowledge of simple arithmetic — single-digit addition and subtraction — he failed systematically in multi-digit subtraction. The nature of errors was consistent across problems and reflected the application of a disturbed underlying algorithm. Moreover, the pattern pf error observed mimics a very common finding in developmental studies on arithmetical procedure acquisition (Fuson, 1990, 1992; Young and O'Shea, 1981; VanLehn, 1986, 1990). The data suggest that, within calculation skills, syntax may exist as a system of stable, but inappropriate, rules which are independent of any underlying conceptual knowledge.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Case Study-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-4
content type line 23
ObjectType-Report-1
ObjectType-Article-3
ISSN:0010-9452
1973-8102
DOI:10.1016/S0010-9452(96)80011-6