Cognitive Abilities Preferment in Math Problem-Solving through Combined Neuro-Feedback and Trans Cranial Electrical Stimulation Therapy

Math problem solving requires improving both details and generalities perception by the brain's parietal cortex and in turn, achieving this ability requires the development of cognitive abilities. The purpose of this study was to improve cognitive abilities in math problem-solving through combined neurofeedback and transcranial electrical stimulation therapy.

This study was a quantitative study of the single case type with the ABAB design. The statistical population was the ninth-grade high school students referring to two counseling centers in Karaj. Among them, 5 weak students in math problem-solving were selected purposefully and voluntarily. The entry criteria were age between 14 and 16 years, a math score below 13.5 from 20 in the previous semester. Furthermore, participants should not have a diagnosis of learning disorders and coexistence, medical treatment, and a math reinforcement course. The measurement tools were the fourth edition of the Wechsler IQ test, transcranial electrical stimulation devices, neurofeedback, and math exam scores between two academic semesters. The combined intervention of electrical stimulation and neurofeedback was performed for 50 minutes, two months, and twice a week with the aim of promoting alpha and theta waves and suppressing beta three waves in the parietal cortex. Percentage improvement formulas, Cohen's effect size, and visual analysis were used to analyze the data.

The results showed that the combined treatment was effective in the mentioned brain waves. On the other hand, cognitive factors in Wechsler's intelligence scale, including active memory, processing speed, perceptual reasoning, and verbal comprehension, as well as students' math exam scores showed a significant improvement.

The findings showed that transcranial stimulation of the parietal cortex and neuro-feedback brain training are able to increase the learning ability of students who have problems understanding the details and generalities of mathematics. Therefore, this non-invasive combined method can be used as an approach to improve the cognitive abilities of students who are weak in solving mathematical problems.