Professor Laura Herrero, from the Department of Psychology at Camilo José Cela University, has presented in Barcelona the results of the study “Cognitive Benefits of Arrowsmith Symbol Relations Task In Two Groups: Children with Dyslexia and High Achievers”, carried out together with Elin Mariana Velasco and Gloria Hernández, teachers at SEK-El Castillo, as part of a collaboration between UCJC and the school.
The research was presented at the 2026 Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science —APS—, one of the leading international events in the field of scientific psychology. The study analyses the impact of the Symbol Relations task, part of the Arrowsmith Programme, on two groups of students: children with dyslexia and high-achieving students.
The aim of the study was to examine whether this cognitive task produced benefits in both profiles and whether its impact differed between the two groups. A total of 24 children aged between 8 and 12 took part: 12 children with dyslexia and 12 high-achieving students. Over five months, participants worked on the task for an average of two hours per week under supervision at school, complemented by independent work at home.
Before and after the programme, the research team assessed different cognitive functions, including processing speed, attention, visuospatial short-term memory, response inhibition and planning skills. Fluid intelligence, measured using Raven, was used as a control variable. At the end of the programme, a short survey was also conducted with children and families to gather their qualitative perceptions of the changes observed.
Research applied to learning
The initial results confirmed that, before the intervention, high-achieving students scored significantly higher than children with dyslexia in all the cognitive measures assessed, except for planning. However, after working with the Symbol Relations task, both groups showed significant improvements in attention, visuospatial short-term memory and response inhibition.
The study indicates that the effects observed were similar in both groups, although effect sizes were slightly higher in the group of children with dyslexia. Significant improvements in processing speed were also found in this group, while in the high-achieving group the results were close to statistical significance.
The final results of the study suggest that the Symbol Relations task may benefit children regardless of their initial cognitive abilities, both in profiles with specific learning difficulties and in high-achieving students. The research also provides an applied perspective on the development of cognitive functions linked to learning, self-regulation and responses to complex tasks.
The presentation of this work at the APS Annual Convention strengthens the collaboration between Camilo José Cela University and SEK-El Castillo in the field of educational and psychological research, and highlights the value of connecting school practice with university research in order to analyse, through evidence, the impact of programmes aimed at students’ cognitive development.