when 7+3 = 4 looks like correct: automatic solving of substractions in a verification task - cuando 7+3=4 parece correcto: resolución automática de las restas en una tarea de verificación
;Patricia Carratalá Cepedal;Javier García Orza;Valle Lara Carmona
mehran university research journal of engineering and technology2009Vol. 2pp. 35-39
173
cepedal2009escritoswhen
Abstract
There is a great amount of evidence showing that adults solve single-digit multiplications and additions automatically. Nevertheless, evidence regarding subtraction and division is scarce. The present study explores whether the solving of single-digit subtractions is automatic or not. Seventeen psychology students took part in our experiment. They have to judge the correctness of single-digit additions. In the “false additions” the result could be the subtraction of the operands (e.g., 7+3=4) or could be unrelated with the operands (e.g., 7+3=2). The data analysis showed the presence of an interference effect, this is, worse performance in the subtraction condition than in the unrelated condition. These results suggest that subtraction solving is highly automatic.