Network interference and number-fact retrieval: evidence from children's alphaplication

The origins of several phenomena of number-fact retrieval were investigated by having children in Grades 3 and 4 memorize alphaplication facts (arithmetic-like memory items composed of letters instead of numbers). Alphaplication performance paralleled memory for arithmetic facts in several important respects: Results showed (a) a large performance advantage for tie (e.g., E, E = j) over nontie problems (E, I = p), (b) that most errors involved answers from the correct alpha-table, (c) that response times and error rates were strongly correlated across problems, (d) that the correct answers to poorly learned problems tended to be the most common error responses, and (e) that performance was lower for problems introduced later in the learning sequence. Taken together, these findings support a network-interference approach (Campbell & Graham, 1985) to memory for arithmetic facts.