Processing Speed: What It Is, Why It Matters, How to Improve

Processing speed involves one or more of the following functions: the amount of time it takes to perceive information, process information, and formulate or ... Skiptocontent Home Products&Services SuccessStories Resources Dyslexia Dyscalculia CognitiveSkills ReadingandLearningResearch EdubloxExplained EdubloxResearch TopSuccessStories AllArticles About AboutUs ContactUs Menu Home Products&Services SuccessStories Resources Dyslexia Dyscalculia CognitiveSkills ReadingandLearningResearch EdubloxExplained EdubloxResearch TopSuccessStories AllArticles About AboutUs ContactUs SignIn FreeConsultation Register ProcessingSpeed:WhatItIs,WhyItMatters,HowtoImprove CognitiveSkillsandStudyMethods,EdubloxResearch SusanduPlessis July29,2021 Tableofcontents: IntroductionWhatisprocessingspeed?HowtorecognizeprocessingspeeddeficitsWhydoesprocessingspeedmatter?Howcanprocessingspeedbeimproved?Keytakeaways Introduction Somekidsarenaturallyfast.Theyrun,talk,completehomeworkassignments,anddoallsortsofthingsataratethatseemsappropriatefortheirage.Otherkidsdon’t,orperhapsitwouldbefairertosaythey can’t.Thesearekidswhomayhavewhatareknownas processingspeeddeficits. TakethecaseofJohn,a10-year-oldboywithADHDandextremelyslowprocessingspeed,whotakesthreetimeslongerthanhis11-year-oldsistertocompleteprettymuchanydailytask.FromthemomentJohnwakesupinthemorning,hecan’tkeepup.Ittakeshim10minutestofindhiswaytothebathroom,evenlongertopickoutwhattowear,anditoftentakeshimsolongtofigureoutwhattohaveforbreakfastthatheleavesforschoolwithouteatinganything. Childrenwithprocessingproblemsmaystarttoresentschool.Itis,therefore,importantthatparentsandteachersalikeknowthesignsandsymptomssothattheycanintervene. Whatisprocessingspeed? Processingspeedinvolvesoneormoreofthefollowingfunctions:theamountoftimeittakesto perceiveinformation, processinformation,andformulate orenactaresponse.Anotherwaytodefineprocessingspeedistosaythatit’sthe timerequiredtoperformanintellectualtask or theamountofworkthatcanbecompletedwithinacertainperiod.Evensimpler,onecandefineprocessingspeedashowlongittakestogetstuffdone. Therearethreemaincomponentsofprocessingspeed(Burgess,2016): visualprocessing:howquicklyastudent’seyesperceiveinformationandrelayittothebrain(suchasreadingdirectionsornoticingateacher’shandgestures)auditoryprocessing:howquicklyastudenthearsastimulusandreactstoit(suchasfollowingoralinstructionsorparticipatinginadiscussion)motorspeed:howstrongastudent’sfine-motoragilityis,leadingtoacademicfluency(suchasfillingouttimedmathworksheets). Howtorecognizeprocessingspeeddeficits Someexamplesofthetypesofproblemsthatchildrenwithslowprocessingspeedexperienceinclude(Braaten&Willoughby,2014): Difficultyprocessingspokeninformationfluentlyorautomatically:ProblemslisteningtoalectureandtakinginallthematerialpresentedRememberingandfollowingsimpledirectionsfromateacherListeningandunderstandingverbalinformationpresentedinclassfromfellowstudents Problemswritinginformationdownonpaper:WritinganassignmentinanotebookFinishinganexam Slowerreadingfluencyskills:HavingdifficultyreadingacertainpassageinagivenperiodoftimeduringclasstimeorduringexamsDifficultyfinishinglargereadingassignments Troublesustainingattentiontoatask,notnecessarilybecausethechildhasattentionproblems,butbecausetheinformationiscomingathersoquicklythatherattentionis“lost”Difficultyunderstandingcomplexdirections,particularlythosethataregivenquicklyTroubleretrievinginformationquicklyfromlong-termmemory.Thisbecomesproblematicwhenachildiscalledoninclassandcan’tanswerthequestionquicklyenough—eventhoughheknowstheanswer!Problemsfinishingalmostanything(tests,assignments,activities)inanallottedperiodoftimeProblemswithsocialinteractionsbecausethe“socialscene”movestooquicklytoprocess(includesnotjustverbalinformationbutnonverbalinformationthathastobeprocessedquickly). Whydoesprocessingspeedmatter? Manystudiesovermanydecadeshaveshownthatcognitiveskillsareadeterminingfactorofanindividual’slearningability,accordingto Oxfordlearning.comtheskillsthat“separatethegoodlearnersfromtheso-solearners.”Inessence,whencognitiveskillsarestrong,learningisfastandeasy.Whencognitiveskillsareweak,learningbecomesachallenge. Deficitsincognitiveskillsaresaidtoaffectthelearningprocesssignificantly.Educatorsandparentsshouldacknowledgethis,beonthelookoutforabnormalcognitivedevelopment,andensurethesuccessfuldevelopmentoftheseskills.Processingspeedisoneofthemaincomponentsofcognitionandiscrucialinlearning,academicperformance,intellectualdevelopment,reasoning,andexperience. –Processingspeedindailylife Ineverydaylife,thereisacosttoprocessingeverythingmoreslowly,sayBraatenandWilloughbyintheiracclaimedbook,BrightKidsWhoCan’tKeepUp.Somejobsdemandafastpace.Infact,itwouldbeimpossibletoperformcertainjobswithoutthatquickrateofresponse.Emergencyroomdoctors,jetpilots,andairtrafficcontrollers,amongdozensofothercareers,placeahighpriorityontheabilitytoreacttoinformationandquicklyperformtasks. Thoughitmightnotbeobvious,thesesortsofskillsareimportantinschoolaswell.Frombeingaskedtocomplete“1-minutemathworksheets”insecondgrade,totheabilitytomovebetweenclassesandroomsinmiddleandhighschool(whilerememberingtogettheappropriatebooksandassignmentsfromalockerina4-minutetransitionperiod),theabilitytodothingsquicklyishighlyrelatedtoachild’ssuccessinschool. –Processingspeedandlearningdisabilities Slowprocessingspeedisnotaformallearningdisability,butitcanplayapartinlearningandattentionissueslikedyslexia,ADHD,dysgraphia,dyscalculia,andauditoryprocessingdisorder. Whenastudentisslowatprocessing,certainacademictaskscantakethemlongertodothantheaveragestudent.Processingspeedinteractswithotherareasofcognitivefunctioningbynegativelyimpactingtheabilitytoquicklycomeupwithananswer,retrieveinformationfromlong-termmemory,andrememberwhatyou’resupposedtobedoingatagiventime. EvidencesuggeststhatprocessingspeedproblemsareamajorunderlyingfactorinbothdyslexiaandADHD,twodisordersthatoftengohandinhand(Shanahanetal.,2006).Studiesalsosuggesttheslowreadingandslowmotorresponses,oftenseeninthosewithdyslexia,mayberelatedtoslowprocessingspeed(StoodleyandStein,2006). Inasampleof600familiesstudiedbyBraatenandWilloughby(2014): 70%ofthechildrenwhohadsignificantprocessingspeeddeficitswereboyslanguageimpairmentswerereportedinabout40%ofthechildrenwithprocessingspeeddeficitsaboutathirdoftheparentsreporteddelayedmotordevelopmentintheirchildren61%ofthekidswithADHDalsohadprocessingspeedweaknessesascomparedtotheirage-matchedpeers Whentheseissuesgountreated,itcansometimesleadachildtoavoidhomeworkor,inextremecases,avoidschoolaltogether.Thesechildrenmayappearunmotivated,sluggish,apathetic,andwithlowenergy.Evengettingstartedontasksisdifficultforthem. –Processingspeedandexecutivefunctioning Executivefunctionskillsallowustosuccessfullyuseourintelligenceandproblem-solvingabilities.Theseskillsincludeabilitiessuchasgoalsetting,planning,organizing,prioritizing,rememberinginformationinworkingmemory,monitoringourbehavior,andshiftingbackandforthbetweendifferenttasksoractivities.Processingspeedisconsideredanimportantexecutivefunctionskill. Processingspeedisnotjustanotherwordforexecutivefunctions.However,here’sagoodwaytothinkaboutit:Imaginethatexecutivefunctioningisthecar,andprocessingspeedistheengine.Havingafasterengineoramorepowerfulenginemeansthecarcangofaster,sogoodexecutivefunctiondependsonthequalityoftheengine.Moreefficientenginesallowthecartofunctionatahigherlevelofefficiency. –Processingspeedanddepression Slowprocessingspeedcantakeatollonachild’sacademicprogress,socialrelationships,andfamilydynamics.Thecumulativecostofhavinghaddifficultiesinthesefar-reachingdomainscanresultinproblemsintheemotionalrealm. Adolescentswithslowerprocessingspeedmaybeatincreasedlaterriskofanxietyanddepression,accordingtoresearchdoneatEdinburghUniversity.Theresultsaddnewevidencethatlowercognitiveabilitymaybeacontributortodepression,ratherthanaconsequenceofit. Theresearchersanalyzeddatafrom705Scottishparticipantsinastudyincludingfollow-upfromadolescenceintoadulthood.Atage16,theparticipantswereevaluatedonasimpletestofcognitiveprocessingspeed:reactiontimeinpressingkeyscorrespondingtonumbers(1to4)flashedonascreen. Atage36,theparticipantscompletedstandardquestionnairesassessingdepressionandanxietysymptoms.Therelationshipbetweenreactiontimeinadolescenceandmentalhealthinadulthoodwasassessed,withadjustmentforawiderangeofotherfactors(education,lifestylehabits,etc). Slowerprocessingspeedatage16wasassociatedwithincreasedanxietyanddepressionsymptomsatage36. Previousstudieshaveshownthatpeoplewithmoreseveredepressionhaveslowerreactiontimesandothercognitivedeficits.Ithasgenerallybeenassumedthatthis“psychomotorslowing”isaconsequenceofdepression,ratherthanariskfactorforit.TheEdinburghstudysuggeststhatslowerprocessingspeedmaycontributetothedevelopmentofmentalhealthdisorders—possiblybyleadingto“increasedstressanddifficultiesrespondingtoadversityearlierinlife.” Howcanprocessingspeedbeimproved? EdubloxOnlineTutor (EOT)housesseveralmultisensorycognitivetrainingprogramsthatenablestudentstoovercomelearningobstaclesandreachtheirfullpotential. EOTisfoundedonpedagogicalresearchand30+yearsofexperiencedemonstratingthatweakunderlying cognitiveskills accountforthemajorityoflearningdifficulties.Underlyingcognitiveskillsincludeprocessingspeed. Thekeytoimprovingprocessingspeedliesinmakingstrongerconnectionsinthebrain,whichallowbrainsignalstotravelathigherspeeds. AcollaborativestudybetweenEdublox,theUniversityofPretoria(UP),andaprimaryschoolinPretoriaCBDhaspavedthewaytoshowhowEdubloxOnlineTutorcancontributetoprocessingspeeddevelopment.ThestudywasanalyzedasaposthocresearchprojectbyNaseehatDawoodaspartofhermaster’sdegreeinresearchpsychologyundertheguidanceofProfessorDavidMaree,formerHeadoftheDepartmentofPsychologyatUP. Sixty-four2ndgradestudentsweredividedrandomlyintothreegroups:group1completed28hoursofEdublox’sDevelopmentTutorovera3-weekperiod;group2wasexposedtocomputergames,whilegroup3continuedwiththeirschoolwork. FindingssuggestthatexposuretotheEdubloxprogramsignificantlyimprovedthepost-testscoresintheprocessingspeeddomain.Descriptivestatisticsshowedthatwhilescoresimprovedforallthreegroups,thechildrenexposedtotheEdubloxprogramimprovedbyamuchgreaterpercentagethantheothergroups.Arepeated-measuresANOVAtestconfirmedthedescriptiveresultsandshowedsignificantdifferencesintheimprovementsinmeanprocessingspeedofthechildreningroups1,2,and3. Meanplotsofchildren’sprocessingspeedtests ThisstudyfollowsatrialbyeducationalspecialistDr.LeeDeLorgeinOhio,whoputtheEdubloxprogramtothetest.Sixty-sevenstudentsaged5to18withADHD,dyslexia,dyscalculia,andnon-specificlearningdisabilitiesparticipatedinherstudy.Ninety-fourpercentofthestudentsimprovedsignificantlyinprocessingspeed.Resultswereasfollows: Thirty-fivestudentswithADHDshowedacombinedincreaseof52.45percent,fromapre-testaverageof37.24percenttoapost-testaverageof89.69percent.Thirteendyslexicstudentsshowedacombinedincreaseof46.76percent,fromapre-testaverageof41.31percenttoapost-testaverageof88.07percent.Twostudentswerediagnosedwithdyscalculiaandshowedacombinedincreaseof57.38percent,fromapre-testaverageof39.76percenttoapost-testaverageof97.14percent.Theremaininglearnerswerenon-specificlearning-disabledandshowedacombinedincreaseof64.14percent,fromapre-testaverageof30.40percenttoapost-testaverageof94.54percent. Interview InaninterviewbroadcastonWKYC,atelevisionstationinCleveland,Ohio,Dr.DeLorgeexplainedcognitiveskillsandhowEdubloxmethodologystrengthensachild’scognitiveskills.   . Keytakeaways .Bibliography: Braaten, E.,&Willoughby,B.(2014). BrightKidsWhoCan’tKeepUp. HelpYourChildOvercomeSlowProcessingSpeedandSucceedinaFast-PacedWorld.GuilfordPress:NewYork. Burgess,K.(2016).Understandingandaddressingprocessingspeeddeficitsintheclassroom.LDOnline.org Lee,CynthiaWei-ShengPhD;Liao,Chun-HuiMD;Lin,Cheng-LiMSc;Liang,Ji-AnMD;Sung,Fung-ChangPhD;&Kao,Chia-HungMD(2015). Depressionandriskofvenousthromboembolism:Apopulation-basedretrospectivecohortstudy.PsychosomaticMedicine. Shanahan,M.A.,Pennington,B.F.,Yerys,B.E.,Scott,A.,Boada,R.,Willcutt,E.G.,Olson,R.K.,&DeFries,J.C.(2006).Processing speeddeficitsinattentiondeficit/hyperactivitydisorderandreadingdisability.JournalofAbnormalChildPsychology,34, 584-601. Stoodley,C.J.,&Stein,J.F.(2006).Aprocessingspeeddeficitindyslexicadults?Evidencefromapeg-movingtask.NeuroscienceLetters, 399,264-267. Search FeaturedArticles EdubloxinthePressandEdubloxNews WhatIsEdubloxOnlineTutor?RealHelpforDyslexia,Dyscalculia,LearningDisabilities EdubloxOnlineTutorisanonlineplatformthathousesproductsandservicestoimprove...Readmore OvercomingLearningBarriers:TopSuccessStories CustomerReviewPlaylist:OvercomingDyslexia,Dyscalculia,LearningDifficulties Doesyourchildhavetheabilitytoexcelacademicallyyetstrugglestoreachtheir...Readmore RelatedArticles CognitiveSkillsandStudyMethods Long-TermMemory:WhatItIs,Types,WaystoImprove Long-termmemoryisthememoryprocessthattakesinformationfromtheshort-termmemorystore...Readmore CognitiveSkillsandStudyMethods 8ReasonsWhyWorkingMemoryIsImportant Workingmemoryiskeytolearning.Howgoodthisisinsomeonewill...Readmore CognitiveSkillsandStudyMethods 5ReasonsWhyGradesAreImportant Peoplecanlearnagreatdealandacquireagoodeducationwithoutmakinghigh...Readmore CognitiveSkillsandStudyMethods CognitiveSkills:WhatTheyAre,WhyTheyMatter,HowtoImprove Cognitiveskills-- alsocalledcognitiveabilities,cognitivefunctions, orcognitvecapabilities--arementalskills...Readmore DoesYourChildSufferFrom: LearningDisabilities Dyslexia Dysgraphia Dyscalculia Wecanhelp.Clickformoreinformation. Home Products&Pricing Articles Testimonials FAQ Contact PrivacyPolicy