Neighborhood Consistency in Mental Arithmetic
Author Information
Author(s): Frank Domahs, Ulrike Domahs, Matthias Schlesewsky, Elie Ratinckx, Tom Verguts, Klaus Willmes, Hans-Christoph Nuerk
Primary Institution: Universitätsklinikum der RWTH Aachen, Germany
Hypothesis
The study investigates whether neighborhood consistency effects influence the verification of simple multiplication problems.
Conclusion
The study found that neighborhood consistency effects in simple multiplication are evident, with consistent lures being harder to reject than inconsistent ones.
Supporting Evidence
- Decade-consistent lures were harder to reject than decade-inconsistent lures.
- Behavioral data showed longer reaction times for consistent probes compared to inconsistent probes.
- EEG data indicated significant differences in N400 and LPC components based on consistency.
Takeaway
When solving multiplication problems, it's harder to say an answer is wrong if it looks similar to the right answer, especially if they share a digit.
Methodology
Participants performed a multiplication verification task while their reaction times and EEG were recorded.
Limitations
The study had a high exclusion rate of participants due to errors or artifacts, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
The participants were 24 right-handed students from the University of Marburg, with a mean age of 23 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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