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The impact of out-of-school science activities for primary school children on science knowledge, interest and later academic choices: an evaluation study (2023)
Journal Article
McDonald, S., Beer, S., & Cragg, L. (2023). The impact of out-of-school science activities for primary school children on science knowledge, interest and later academic choices: an evaluation study. Research for All, 7(1), Article 20. https://doi.org/10.14324/rfa.07.1.20

Although a growing number of young people are choosing to undertake non-compulsory education, there is concern that not enough are electing to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects. Research has suggested that out-of-school... Read More about The impact of out-of-school science activities for primary school children on science knowledge, interest and later academic choices: an evaluation study.

Higher level domain specific skills in mathematics; The relationship between algebra, geometry, executive function skills and mathematics achievement (2023)
Journal Article
Spiller, J., Clayton, S., Cragg, L., Johnson, S., Simms, V., & Gilmore, C. (2023). Higher level domain specific skills in mathematics; The relationship between algebra, geometry, executive function skills and mathematics achievement. PLoS ONE, 18(11), Article e0291796. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291796

Algebra and geometry are important components of mathematics that are often considered gatekeepers for future success. However, most studies that have researched the cognitive skills required for success in mathematics have only considered the domain... Read More about Higher level domain specific skills in mathematics; The relationship between algebra, geometry, executive function skills and mathematics achievement.

Endogenous control is insufficient for preventing attentional capture in children and adults (2022)
Journal Article
Hayre, R. K., Cragg, L., & Allen, H. A. (2022). Endogenous control is insufficient for preventing attentional capture in children and adults. Acta Psychologica, 228, Article 103611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103611

Adults are known to have developed the ability to selectively focus their attention in a goal-driven (endogenous) manner but it is less clear at what stage in development (5-6 & 9-11 years) children can endogenously control their attention and whethe... Read More about Endogenous control is insufficient for preventing attentional capture in children and adults.

A comparison of simultaneous and sequential visuo-spatial memory in children born very preterm (2021)
Journal Article
Retzler, J., Johnson, S., Groom, M. J., & Cragg, L. (2021). A comparison of simultaneous and sequential visuo-spatial memory in children born very preterm. Child Neuropsychology, 28(4), 496-509. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2021.1993808

Research suggests that children born very preterm (≤32weeks’ gestation) are at greater risk of impairments in information processing (particularly when information is presented simultaneously rather than sequentially) and visuo-spatial short-term and... Read More about A comparison of simultaneous and sequential visuo-spatial memory in children born very preterm.

Etiology of persistent mathematics difficulties from childhood to adolescence following very preterm birth (2021)
Journal Article
Clayton, S., Simms, V., Cragg, L., Gilmore, C., Marlow, N., Spong, R., & Johnson, S. (2022). Etiology of persistent mathematics difficulties from childhood to adolescence following very preterm birth. Child Neuropsychology, 28(1), 82-98. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2021.1955847

Children born very preterm (VP; 0.05), with the exception of writing large numbers and conceptual understanding of arithmetic. In a previous study, 83 of the VP adolescents and 49 of the term-born adolescents were assessed at age 8–10years using meas... Read More about Etiology of persistent mathematics difficulties from childhood to adolescence following very preterm birth.

No Excess of Mathematics Anxiety in Adolescents Born Very Preterm (2020)
Journal Article
Trickett, J., Gilmore, C., Cragg, L., Clayton, S., Marlow, N., Simms, V., …Johnson, S. (2021). No Excess of Mathematics Anxiety in Adolescents Born Very Preterm. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 42(3), 220-226. https://doi.org/10.1097/dbp.0000000000000884

Objective:
To assess whether adolescents born very preterm (VP; [less than] 32 weeks' gestation) have an excess of mathematics anxiety compared with their classmates born at term.

Methods:
This cohort study included 127 adolescents born VP (51... Read More about No Excess of Mathematics Anxiety in Adolescents Born Very Preterm.

The Role of Executive Functions in Socioeconomic Attainment Gaps: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial (2020)
Journal Article
Carroll, D. J., Blakey, E., Matthews, D., Cragg, L., Buck, J., Cameron, D., …Sullivan, E. (2020). The Role of Executive Functions in Socioeconomic Attainment Gaps: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial. Child Development, 91(5), 1594-1614. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13358

© 2020 Society for Research in Child Development The socioeconomic attainment gap in mathematics starts early and increases over time. This study aimed to examine why this gap exists. Four-year-olds from diverse backgrounds were randomly allocated to... Read More about The Role of Executive Functions in Socioeconomic Attainment Gaps: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Using drift diffusion modeling to understand inattentive behavior in preterm and term-born children. (2019)
Journal Article
Retzler, J., Retzler, C., Groom, M., Johnson, S., & Cragg, L. (2020). Using drift diffusion modeling to understand inattentive behavior in preterm and term-born children. Neuropsychology, 34(1), 77-87. https://doi.org/10.1037/neu0000590

Objective: Children born very preterm are at increased risk of inattention, but it remains unclear whether the underlying processes are the same as in their term-born peers. Drift diffusion modelling (DDM) may better characterise the cognitive proces... Read More about Using drift diffusion modeling to understand inattentive behavior in preterm and term-born children..

Improving developmental and educational support for children born preterm: evaluation of an e-learning resource for education professionals (2019)
Journal Article
Johnson, S., Bamber, D., Bountziouka, V., Clayton, S., Cragg, L., Gilmore, C., …Wharrad, H. J. (2019). Improving developmental and educational support for children born preterm: evaluation of an e-learning resource for education professionals. BMJ Open, 9(6), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029720

Objectives Children born preterm are at higher risk for special educational needs and poor academic attainment compared with term-born peers, yet education professionals receive limited training and have poor knowledge of preterm birth. We have devel... Read More about Improving developmental and educational support for children born preterm: evaluation of an e-learning resource for education professionals.

Cross-modal interference-control is reduced in childhood but maintained in aging: a cohort study of stimulus-and response-interference in cross-modal and unimodal Stroop tasks (2019)
Journal Article
Hirst, R. J., Kicks, E. C., Allen, H. A., & Cragg, L. (2019). Cross-modal interference-control is reduced in childhood but maintained in aging: a cohort study of stimulus-and response-interference in cross-modal and unimodal Stroop tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 45(5), 553-572. https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000608

Interference-control is the ability to exclude distractions and focus on a specific task or stimulus. However, it is currently unclear whether the same interference-control mechanisms underlie the ability to ignore unimodal and cross-modal distractio... Read More about Cross-modal interference-control is reduced in childhood but maintained in aging: a cohort study of stimulus-and response-interference in cross-modal and unimodal Stroop tasks.

Understanding arithmetic concepts: the role of domain-specific and domain-general skills (2018)
Journal Article
Gilmore, C., Clayton, S., Cragg, L., McKeaveney, C., Simms, V., & Johnson, S. (2018). Understanding arithmetic concepts: the role of domain-specific and domain-general skills. PLoS ONE, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201724

A large body of research has identified cognitive skills associated with overall mathematics achievement, focusing primarily on identifying associates of procedural skills. Conceptual understanding, however, has received less attention, despite its i... Read More about Understanding arithmetic concepts: the role of domain-specific and domain-general skills.

Cognitive predictors of parent-rated inattention in very preterm children: The role of working memory and processing speed (2018)
Journal Article
Retzler, J., Johnson, S., Groom, M., Hollis, C., Budge, H., & Cragg, L. (2019). Cognitive predictors of parent-rated inattention in very preterm children: The role of working memory and processing speed. Child Neuropsychology, 25(5), 617-635. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2018.1510908

Background: Inattention is one of the most common neurobehavioural problems following very preterm birth. Attention problems can persist into adulthood and are associated with negative socio-emotional and educational outcomes. This study aimed to det... Read More about Cognitive predictors of parent-rated inattention in very preterm children: The role of working memory and processing speed.

The threshold for the McGurk effect in audio-visual noise decreases with development (2018)
Journal Article
Hirst, R. J., Stacey, J. E., Cragg, L., Stacey, P. C., & Allen, H. A. (2018). The threshold for the McGurk effect in audio-visual noise decreases with development. Scientific Reports, 8, Article 12372. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30798-8

Across development, vision increasingly influences audio-visual perception. This is evidenced in illusions such as the McGurk effect, in which a seen mouth movement changes the perceived sound. The current paper assessed the effects of manipulating t... Read More about The threshold for the McGurk effect in audio-visual noise decreases with development.

Vision dominates audition in adults but not children: A meta-analysis of the Colavita effect (2018)
Journal Article
Hirst, R. J., Cragg, L., & Allen, H. A. (2018). Vision dominates audition in adults but not children: A meta-analysis of the Colavita effect. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 94, 286-301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.07.012

The Colavita effect occurs when participants respond only to the visual element of an audio-visual stimulus. This visual dominance effect is proposed to arise from asymmetric facilitation and inhibition between modalities. It has also been proposed t... Read More about Vision dominates audition in adults but not children: A meta-analysis of the Colavita effect.

When is working memory important for arithmetic?: the impact of strategy and age (2017)
Journal Article
Cragg, L., Richardson, S., Hubber, P. J., Keeble, S., & Gilmore, C. (in press). When is working memory important for arithmetic?: the impact of strategy and age. PLoS ONE, 12(12), Article e0188693. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188693

Our ability to perform arithmetic relies heavily on working memory, the manipulation and maintenance of information in mind. Previous research has found that in adults, procedural strategies, particularly counting, rely on working memory to a greater... Read More about When is working memory important for arithmetic?: the impact of strategy and age.

Direct and indirect influences of executive functions on mathematics achievement (2017)
Journal Article
Cragg, L., Keeble, S., Richardson, S., Roome, H. E., & Gilmore, C. (2017). Direct and indirect influences of executive functions on mathematics achievement. Cognition, 162, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2017.01.014

Achievement in mathematics is predicted by an individual’s domain-specific factual knowledge, procedural skill and conceptual understanding as well as domain-general executive function skills. In this study we investigated the extent to which executi... Read More about Direct and indirect influences of executive functions on mathematics achievement.

Explaining the relationship between number line estimation and mathematical achievement: the role of visuomotor integration and visuospatial skills (2016)
Journal Article
Simms, V., Clayton, S., Cragg, L., Gilmore, C., & Johnson, S. (2016). Explaining the relationship between number line estimation and mathematical achievement: the role of visuomotor integration and visuospatial skills. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 145, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2015.12.004

Performance on number line tasks, typically used as a measure of numerical representations, are reliably related to children’s mathematical achievement. However, recent debate has questioned what precisely performance on the number line estimation ta... Read More about Explaining the relationship between number line estimation and mathematical achievement: the role of visuomotor integration and visuospatial skills.

The development of stimulus and response interference control in mid-childhood (2015)
Journal Article
Cragg, L. (2015). The development of stimulus and response interference control in mid-childhood. Developmental Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000074

Interference control, the ability to overcome distraction from irrelevant information, undergoes considerable improvement during childhood yet the mechanisms driving these changes remain unclear. The present study investigated the relative influence... Read More about The development of stimulus and response interference control in mid-childhood.