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The internal representation of fractions: component, holistic or hybrid?
Weimin Lin1, Yun Pan1,2, Jun Zhu1
1School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China.
Abstract:
This study aimed to differentiate among componential, holistic, and hybrid accounts of fraction representation through three behavioral experiments. Using the stimulus detection paradigm, we systematically tested the competing theoretical hypotheses of spatial attention mapping in fraction processing. Experiments 1 and 2 found that fraction numerical processing could effectively regulate spatial attention under conditions of consistent numerical information. The crucial Experiment 3, which employed a conflict design (where the overall value and component size information were contradictory), did not observe a significant spatial attention effect. Integrating these findings, fraction processing may simultaneously activate both holistic and component information, with its behavioral output being subject to immediate evaluation and regulation; automatic expression is permitted when information is consistent, whereas inhibitory control is triggered in the presence of conflict. The research results reveal the dynamic dual-processing of fractions in the domain of spatial attention. These findings provide key behavioral evidence for understanding the interaction between rapid extraction and controlled processes in mathematical cognition.
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