Retrieval or non-retrieval strategies in mental addition ? An operand-recognition paradigm

Thevenot, Catherine; Fanget, Muriel; Fayol, Michel

Scientific article

English

Retrieval or non-retrieval strategies in mental addition ? An operand-recognition paradigm

Contributors

Thevenot, Catherine; Fanget, Muriel; Fayol, Michel

Published in

Memory & cognition, vol. 35, no. 6, p. 1344-1352

Publication date

2007

Abstract

According to LeFevre, Sadesky, and Bisanz (1996), averaging solution latencies in order to study individuals' arithmetic strategies can result in misleading conclusions. Therefore, in addition to classical chronometric data, they collected verbal reports and challenged the assumption that adults rely systematically on retrieval of arithmetic facts from memory to solve simple addition problems. However, Kirk and Ashcraft (2001) questioned the validity of such a methodology and concluded that a more appropriate method has to be found. Thus, we developed an operand recognition paradigm that does not rely on verbal reports or on solution latencies. In accordance with LeFevre et al., we show in a first experiment that adults resort to nonretrieval strategies to solve addition problems involving medium numbers. However, in a second experiment, we show that high-skilled individuals can solve the same problems using a retrieval strategy. The benefits of our paradigm to the study of arithmetic strategies are discussed.

UNIGE affiliation entities

Faculté de psychologie et des sciences de l'éducation / Section de psychologie

UNIGE research groups

Psychologie du développement cognitif (DeCoPsy)

Citation (ISO format)

THEVENOT, Catherine, FANGET, Muriel, FAYOL, Michel. Retrieval or non-retrieval strategies in mental addition ? An operand-recognition paradigm. In: Memory & cognition, 2007, vol. 35, n° 6, p. 1344–1352.

Article (Published version)

Identifiers

PID : unige:4019

Additional URL for this publication

http://mc.psychonomic-journals.org/content/35/6/1344.full.pdf

Journal ISSN

0090-502X

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8downloads

Creation

02/10/2009 15:21:00

First validation

02/10/2009 15:21:00

Update

14/03/2023 15:17:21

Status update

14/03/2023 15:17:21

Last indexation

29/10/2024 12:32:03

Retrieval or non-retrieval strategies in mental addition ? An operand-recognition paradigm

Contributors

Published in

Publication date

Abstract

UNIGE affiliation entities

UNIGE research groups

Citation (ISO format)

Main files (1)

Identifiers

Additional URL for this publication

Journal ISSN

Technical informations

Creation

First validation

Update

Status update

Last indexation