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Published on: February 19, 2018
Neighborhood consistency and memory for number facts
Jamie I D Campbell1, Roxanne R Dowd, Jillian M Frick
1Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, 9 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A5, Canada. Jamie.campbell@usask.ca
Memory & Cognition
|January 26, 2011
Summary
Neighborhood consistency significantly impacts learning novel arithmetic facts. Consistent problem sets nearly double learning rates compared to inconsistent ones, aiding memory organization.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Mathematical Cognition
- Human Memory
Background:
- A previous model suggested memory for arithmetic facts depends on product consistency within multiplication tables.
- Investigating this model requires direct manipulation of neighborhood consistency during learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To directly test the impact of neighborhood consistency on learning novel arithmetic facts.
- To examine how consistency influences memory structure and error patterns.
Main Methods:
- Participants memorized a novel "pound" arithmetic table with consistent or inconsistent neighboring problem answers.
- The table included "tie" (e.g., 4 # 4) and "nontie" (e.g., 5 # 4) equations.
- Learning was assessed over 14 study-test blocks.
Main Results:
- Learning occurred nearly twice as fast in the consistent condition compared to the inconsistent condition.
- Consistency promoted a categorical memory structure based on operands.
- Tie problems were learned faster than nontie problems, regardless of consistency.
Conclusions:
- Neighborhood consistency is a critical factor in learning number facts, significantly enhancing memory performance.
- The findings support models where memory organization is influenced by the relationships between items.
- Consistency aids in forming distinct memory subcategories, like tie problems.
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