Inhibition and cognitive load in fractions and decimals

Datos Bibliográficos

ID5265682
AutoresVana A Avgerinou (0000-0002-6389-4086, Putney High School (Girls’ Day School Trust) London UK, autor de correspondencia), Andrew Tolmie (0000-0002-6645-0704, UCL Institute of Education University College London UK)
Año2020
Volumen90
NúmeroS1
Páginas240-256
Fecha de publicación2020-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaBritish Journal of Educational Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0007-0998 • E-ISSN: 2044-8279
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bjep.12321
PMID31573075
OpenAlexW2979143209
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas11
Referencias citadas44

BackgroundPrior research with adults and children suggests that inhibitory control may have a role to play in learning counterintuitive fractions and decimals that are inconsistent with whole number knowledge. However, there is little research to date with primary school-aged children at the early stages of fraction and decimal instruction that addresses this relationship. Understanding this association has the potential to inform instructional practices concerning the learning of counterintuitive maths concepts.AimThis study examined the relationship between inhibitory control and counterintuitive fractions and decimals in the presence of varying cognitive load in 8- to 10-year-old children.MethodsChildren aged 8-10 years (N = 95) completed a fraction and decimal magnitude comparison task with pairs that were either consistent (controls) or inconsistent (counterintuitive) with whole number magnitudes. Cognitive load was manipulated by presenting trials with simple integrated text (no additional load), with integrated text accompanied by supportive illustrations (low load), or with illustrations containing information that needed to be integrated to arrive at an answer (high load). Participants also completed measures of response and semantic inhibition.ResultsInhibitory control uniquely contributed to performance in counterintuitive fractions and decimals only under conditions of high cognitive load, where low semantic inhibition predicted longer response times.ConclusionOur results indicate a more nuanced relation between inhibitory control and counterintuitive fractions and decimals than presumed by previous research. They suggest that the role of inhibitory control when reasoning about counterintuitive fractions and decimals is not constant, and it is only drawn on at high levels of cognitive load

Arithmetic · Cognition · Cognitive Load · Cognitive psychology · Control (management) · Counterintuitive · Decimal · Developmental psychology · Epistemology · Fraction (chemistry) · Inhibitory control · Mathematics education · Artificial Intelligence · Chemistry · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Computer Science · Mathematics · Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques · Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Psychology · Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes