title: The place-value of a digit in multi-digit numbers is processed automatically.
abstract: The automatic processing of the place-value of digits in a multi-digit number was investigated in 4 experiments. Experiment 1 and two control experiments employed a numerical comparison task in which the place-value of a non-zero digit was varied in a string composed of zeros. Experiment 2 employed a physical comparison task in which strings of digits varied in their physical sizes. In both types of tasks, the place-value of the non-zero digit in the string was irrelevant to the task performed. Interference of the place-value information was found in both tasks. When the non-zero digit occupied a lower place-value, it was recognized slower as a larger digit or as written in a larger font size. We concluded that place-value in a multi-digit number is processed automatically. These results support the notion of a decomposed representation of multi-digit numbers in memory.
authors.affiliation: Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. kallai@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Arava Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Kallai
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tzelgov
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention; D001332:Automatism / Q000523:psychology*; D003210:Concept Formation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012858:Size Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult