Neighborhood consistency and memory for number facts.
Verguts and Fias (Memory & Cognition 33:1-16, 2005a) proposed a new model of memory for simple multiplication facts (2 x 3 = 6; 8 x 7 =56) in which learning and performance is governed by the consistency of a problem's correct product with neighboring products in the times table. In the present study, to directly investigate effects of neighborhood consistency, participants memorized a set of 16 novel "pound" arithmetic equations. The pound arithmetic table included eight tie equations with repeated operands (e.g., 4 # 4 = 29) and eight nontie equations (e.g., 5 # 4 = 39). In the consistent problem set, tie and nontie answers in adjacent columns and rows shared a common decade or unit value. In the inconsistent problem set, neighboring tie and nontie problems did not share a common decade or unit. Across 14 study-test blocks, memorization of the pound arithmetic table presented a robust effect of neighborhood consistency, with the rate of learning nearly doubling that of the inconsistent condition. An analysis of error types showed that consistency fostered the development of a categorical structure based on problem operands and that tie problems were encoded as a distinct subcategory of problems. There was also a substantial learning advantage for tie problems relative to nonties both with consistent and inconsistent neighbors. The results indicate that neighborhood consistency can have a major impact on memory for number facts.
Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, 9 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A5, Canada. Jamie.campbell@usask.ca
Jamie I D
JI
Campbell
Roxanne R
RR
Dowd
Jillian M
JM
Frick
Kendra N
KN
McCallum
Arron W S
AW
Metcalfe
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001245:Association Learning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D011939:Mental Recall; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011340:Problem Solving; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D055815:Young Adult
J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1997 Sep;23(5):1140-59
9293626
Mem Cognit. 2009 Jan;37(1):65-72
19103976
Trends Cogn Sci. 2002 Jul 1;6(7):299-305
12110363
J Exp Psychol Gen. 1988 Sep;117(3):258-75
2971762
Mem Cognit. 2005 Jan;33(1):1-16
15915789
Cognition. 1992 Aug;44(1-2):75-106
1511587
Exp Psychol. 2006;53(4):275-82
17176659
Cognition. 2002 Nov;86(1):71-96
12208652
Mem Cognit. 1999 Sep;27(5):791-802
10540808
Q J Exp Psychol A. 2003 Jan;56(1):31-61
12587894
Mem Cognit. 2004 Mar;32(2):324-35
15190723
Cognition. 2001 Nov;82(1):B25-33
11672709
J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2005 Mar;31(2):250-7
15755243
Cognition. 1994 Oct;53(1):1-44
7988104
J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2006 Aug;32(4):799-810
16846280
J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2005 Oct;31(5):1150-63
16262504