Katie Anne Gilligan-Lee

Spatial skills refer to the ability to orient oneself in space and to interpret and reason about relationships between objects in space. Beyond day-to-day functioning, they play a role in success in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Children born preterm often show weaker spatial skills than term-born peers, but findings across individual studies have not previously been synthesised. This meta-analysis quantified differences in spatial skills between these two groups. 62 case-control studies were included, comprising 9,325 participants (preterm n = 5,146; term-born n = 4,179) aged between 3 and 202 months across 21 countries reporting 165 effect sizes. A medium effect was observed for the difference in performance on spatial skill tasks between preterm and term-born participants ( g = −.489, SE = .0368). Degree of prematurity significantly moderated this effect, with a graded increase in the magnitude of difference as prematurity increased; extremely preterm ( g = −.658, SE = .084), very preterm ( g = −.447, SE = .096), and moderate-to-late preterm ( g = −.335, SE = .105). Neither age, gender nor spatial skill type (i.e., intrinsic, extrinsic, spatial memory) yielded a statistically significant result. Overall, results of the present review indicate that preterm birth is associated with weaker spatial skills when compared to term-born peers, with the magnitude of this difference increasing with greater prematurity. This difference is evident in both males and females and persists with age. These findings clarify the magnitude of spatial skill differences following preterm birth and may inform targeted educational supports to promote later academic outcomes.

The open research movement reflects an ongoing research culture change that aims to tackle issues of research replicability, reduce the use of questionable research practices, and improve the quality of research. We argue that a cornerstone of changing research culture in the psychological sciences and increasing the use and implementation of open research practices is through the training and development of junior researchers, i.e., undergraduate/bachelor students. In this paper, we present findings from the Study of Open Research Methods (STORM), which investigated understanding (contextual and situational perceptions, awareness, and experience) of the replication crisis and open research in undergraduate psychology students in the UK for the first time. Cross-sectional data were collected over three waves (2020-2022) with a total of 2,063 student responses. Our findings provide benchmarks of psychology student understanding of the replication crisis and open research across the UK. The most consistent predictor was students’ year of study, reflecting increasing open research knowledge and experience over the course of their psychology programmes. In Wave 1, this predictor showed evidence of an effect only for universities with a local UKRN lead, whilst in Wave 2 evidence of an effect was present for the other universities on some of the outcome measures. Our exploratory findings reflect a likely increase in open research teaching between 2020 and 2022 in universities with a local UKRN lead. This paper highlights areas for student improvement in open research understanding and teaching gaps in undergraduate research methods training.

Objective: Research suggests there is a higher prevalence of anxiety in individuals with ADHD compared to those without ADHD. However, estimated prevalence rates vary greatly due to differences in methodologies used across studies. This study is the first meta-analysis investigating differences in anxiety measure scores between adults with and without ADHD, and possible moderators of this effect. Method: Our analysis included 58 studies that compared anxiety scores in adults with/without ADHD ( N = 18,821; k = 112). Results: The average effect size (Hedges’s g ) of anxiety scores in those with ADHD relative to controls was 0.77 ( SE = 0.066); a medium effect. The only significant moderator was the type of comparison group used, with comparisons to non-clinical control groups ( g = 0.954, SE = 0.08) yielding significantly larger effects than comparisons to clinical control groups ( g = 0.437, SE = 0.09). None of the other moderator variables examined (Method of characterising ADHD, Anxiety Measure Type, Anxiety Measure Focus, Age or Gender) moderated the effect. There was some evidence of publication bias, therefore results should be interpreted with this in mind. Conclusion: Overall, this study indicates that ADHD is associated with higher levels of anxiety symptomology. This has important implications in the diagnosis and treatment of individuals presenting with ADHD or anxiety, including the consideration and screening of each of these conditions as potentially co-occurring with the other. Adaptions made to clinical practice in line with this would better support this population, improve symptom management and overall quality of life. Suggestions for future research are discussed.

Although extensive research demonstrates positive links between spatial skills and science achievement, the size and nature of this relation is unknown. Questions regarding whether the relation varies based on educational level and gender, across different spatial tasks and science domains, and if it persists over time remain. Additionally, the extent to which this link stands after accounting for related skill sets, specifically mathematical and verbal skills, presents another important question. We conducted a meta-analysis with the following aims: (a) to identify the overall correlation between spatial skills and science achievement; (b) to examine the extent to which the spatial-science relation is moderated by gender, educational level, type of spatial skill assessed, domain of science, and time between assessments; and (c) to determine the strength of the association after accounting for mathematical and verbal skills. Our analysis focused on samples from kindergarten to undergraduates and included a total of 94 article reports (total averaged N = 14,851.59). Results revealed a moderate positive association between spatial skills and science achievement (r = .27, τ = .12) that did not vary by gender, educational level, science domain, or time between assessments. That said, the relation did vary by type of spatial skill. Additionally, spatial skills were significantly associated with science achievement, even when mathematical and verbal skills were included as simultaneous predictors. These findings suggest that spatial skills may represent a promising target for supporting science learning outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Statistics anxiety is widely recognised as a barrier to student learning, and the Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS) is its most widely used self-report measure. However, it remains unclear whether the STARS captures a construct distinct from mathematics anxiety or reflects a jangle fallacy. Using a large international sample of undergraduate students (N = 6,885) from 83 universities across 33 countries, we examined the empirical distinctiveness of the STARS relative to the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (R-MARS). Across four criteria, the evidence indicated substantial overlap. First, correlations between the STARS and R-MARS were consistently strong. Second, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed that items clustered primarily by type of educational experience (e.g., tests, help-seeking, interpretation) rather than by domain, with limited and unstable domain-specific factors. Third, both scales demonstrated statistically equivalent associations with 11 theoretically related anxiety and education variables. Fourth, the R-MARS explained negligible incremental variance beyond the STARS across these outcomes. Together, the findings suggest that the STARS and R-MARS largely measure the same underlying construct. Their continued separate use risks redundancy, conceptual fragmentation, and statistical artefacts, underscoring the need for clearer construct definition and more precise measurement tools.

Acquiring mathematical competence is essential to independent living. In this study, we investigated the mathematics profile in young people with Down syndrome (DS), and the relations between foundational and more complex mathematics skills. The final sample included 33 participants with DS (58% male, 10.2–31.9 years) and a typically developing (TD) group matched on non‐verbal mental age ( N = 33, 58% male, 4.5–6.5 years). Participants completed mathematics tasks assessing symbolic number, non‐symbolic number, arithmetic, reasoning and geometry. We found that performance was similar on measures of reasoning, non‐symbolic number skills and geometry; however, people with DS showed a relative weakness in symbolic number skills and a relative strength in arithmetic. Associations between foundational skills and more complex mathematics also differed somewhat between groups. These differences may reflect the ongoing role of non‐symbolic skills for mathematics in people with DS and perhaps the use of more complex strategies in typically developing children.

Background: Many words have multiple meanings, which present challenges to learning, yet research has yet to identify effective interventions for homonyms. Lexical inference may be a promising strategy. Aim: To evaluate a brief, novel lexical inference intervention for homonyms. Samples: Children aged 7–8 years (Study 1: N = 180, Study 2: N = 76). Study 2 included children with English as an Additional Language (EAL, n = 37). Methods: In two randomized controlled trials, participants were assigned to either inference training or control (Study 1: spatial training; Study 2: implicit exposure through reading). Their receptive knowledge of taught and untaught homonyms was measured before and after the intervention, and in Study 2, metacognitive and inference skills too. Results: Those in the inference interventions showed greater gains in receptive knowledge than control groups. In Study 2, children also showed improvement in the inference test with homonyms, and while children with EAL had a specific challenge with receptive knowledge of homonyms compared to their EL1 peers, the intervention was equally effective for both groups. Receptive knowledge and inference with homonyms predicted unique variance in reading comprehension. The intervention showed limited transfer to untaught words, although patterns of errors provided some indication of improved understanding. Conclusions: A brief inference training is effective for gaining knowledge of homonyms, with limited transfer to untaught words, and the intervention is equally effective for children with EAL and EL1. The findings also showed the importance of homonym understanding and inference for children's reading comprehension.

Spatial ability encompasses the skills necessary to comprehend object properties, their interrelations, and their mental manipulation. Meta-analyses show that spatial training interventions enhance both spatial and mathematical skills. The SPAtial Cognition to Enhance Mathematical Learning (SPACE) programme, adapted from BLOCs, is a training program designed to enhance mathematical learning in 6- to 7-year-old (Year 2, UK) children through LEGO® whole-class activities, implemented by the classroom teacher. The program incorporates professional development for teachers to provide evidence-based strategies to improve mathematical learning through spatial training. This approach is designed to bridge the gap between research and practice. This paper outlines the steps required to design a research-informed intervention program led by teachers and how the challenges of translating research to the classroom can be addressed.