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Situating math word problems: the story matters
Andrew Mattarella-Micke1, Sian L Beilock
1University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|January 19, 2010
Summary
Story problem details significantly impact math performance. When interfering numbers are linked to a character, problem-solving errors increase, especially for those with lower working memory.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- The situation model, representing the mental representation of a story's content, is crucial for comprehension.
- Prior research indicates that numerical interference, such as the sum of numbers, can hinder multiplication retrieval.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how manipulating the situation model of math story problems affects performance.
- To determine if associating interfering numerical information with a protagonist exacerbates errors.
Main Methods:
- Participants solved multiplication story problems under conditions where numerical content was either associated or dissociated from a protagonist.
- Problem difficulty was manipulated by varying the numerical interference (e.g., "9" vs. "8" for 4x5).
- Working memory capacity was assessed.
Main Results:
- Increased problem-solving errors occurred when highly interfering numerical content was associated with the protagonist.
- The negative impact of interfering numerical content was more pronounced in individuals with lower working memory capacity.
- Small alterations in the story problem's situation model significantly impaired math performance.
Conclusions:
- The situation model of math story problems plays a critical role in performance, independent of mathematical knowledge.
- Cognitive capacity, particularly working memory, moderates the effect of situation model manipulations on math performance.
- Designing accessible and less interfering situation models is essential for improving math problem-solving accuracy.
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