title: Some tests of an identical elements model of basic arithmetic skills.
abstract: Two experiments tested an identical elements model of the organization of basic arithmetic skills (T. C. Rickard, A. F. Healy, & L. E. Bourne, 1994). This model assumes a distinct abstract representation for each unique combination of the basic elements (i.e., the operands and the required operation) of a problem. Participants practiced multiplication and division problems and were then tested on various altered versions of these problems. Experiment 1 confirmed the prediction of no positive transfer when the presented elements of a test problem do not exactly match those of a practice problem. Experiment 2 confirmed the prediction that there is complete transfer when the elements of the test problem match exactly with those of a practice problem. Experiment 2 also confirmed that there is both perceptually specific and nonspecific speed-up with practice. Implications for number processing and arithmetic are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1440, USA.
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Rickard
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bourne
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D011939:Mental Recall; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011340:Problem Solving; D011930:Reaction Time