A Generalized Fraction: An Entity Smaller than One on the Mental Number Line

Autor/inn/en	Kallai, Arava Y.; Tzelgov, Joseph
Titel	A Generalized Fraction: An Entity Smaller than One on the Mental Number Line
Quelle	In: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 35 (2009) 6, S.1845-1864 (20 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0096-1523
DOI	10.1037/a0016892
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Children; Long Term Memory; Mathematics; Comparative Analysis; Cognitive Processes; Mathematical Concepts; Israel + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Child; Kind; Kinder; Langzeitgedächtnis; Mathematik; Cognitive process; Kognitiver Prozess
Abstract	The representation of fractions in long-term memory (LTM) was investigated by examining the automatic processing of such numbers in a physical comparison task, and their intentional processing in a numerical comparison task. The size congruity effect (SiCE) served as a marker of automatic processing and consequently as an indicator of the access to the primitives of numerical representation in LTM. Mixed pairs composed of a natural number and a fraction showed both a SiCE and a distance effect. The SiCE for mixed pairs was stable across relative sizes of natural numbers compared to the fraction digits (Experiment 4). However, comparing pairs of fractions revealed a strong influence of fractional components: An inverse SiCE was found for pairs of unit fractions (Experiment 1), while no SiCE was found for pairs of non-unit fractions (Experiments 2-3). This leads to the conclusions that: (1) there are no unique representations of distinct fraction values in LTM, and (2) there is a representation of a "generalized fraction" as an "entity smaller than one" that emerges from the notational structure common to all fractions. (Contains 5 footnotes, 1 table and 11 figures.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10