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Using addition to solve large subtractions in the number domain up to 20
Greet Peters1, Bert De Smedt, Joke Torbeyns
1Centre for Instructional Psychology and Technology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. Greet.Peters@ped.kuleuven.be
Abstract:
This study examined 25 university students' use of addition to solve large single-digit subtractions by contrasting performance in the standard subtraction format (12-9=.) and in the addition format (9+.=12). In particular, we investigated the effect of the relative size of the subtrahend on performance in both formats. We found a significant interaction between format, the magnitude of the subtrahend (S) compared to the difference (D) (S>D vs. S
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