Have you ever felt that you are just plain bad at math? Like no amount of studying or number-crunching will help you ace your upcoming test? Georgetown and Stanford researchers believe it’s not a lack of effort or laziness that causes this. In fact, they say it might actually be the result of a brain abnormality.
Math difficulties may be linked to problems with procedural memory.
Researchers have noticed that when certain parts of the procedural memory are impaired, students may suffer from a math disorder, dyslexia, or a developmental language disorder. The researchers believe the link between memory and these disorders is the golden ticket that could aid in diagnosing and treating these disorders in the future.
Georgetown University Medical and Stanford University believe being bad at math may not just be an academic weakness, but actually a disability. Their findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, reveal how different the brain is for those who don’t have strengths in mathematics and what it could mean for their overall cognitive health.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center and Stanford University have indicated they may have discovered a math learning difficulty similar to dyslexia.
- Dyscalculia is a condition where a procedural deficit occurs and a person struggles with basic procedural processes involved with mathematics.
- Researchers also were able to connect this condition with short-term memory issues.
Take the dyscalculia test
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