No abstract

Examined 6 graduate students' performance of simple arithmetic calculations to test predictions of digital (counting), analog, and network models. Pairs of single-digit integers were presented and RTs for adding, multiplying, and comparing the stimuli were collected. A high correlation between RTs for addition and multiplication of the same digits was obtained. This result is consistent with a network model but presents difficulties for both analog and counting models. A "ties" effect of no increase in RT, with increases in problem size for doubles such as 2 + 2, has been found in previous studies of addition using verification procedures, but was not found with the production task employed in the present study. Instead, a different kind of ties effect was found: RT for both addition and multiplication of ties increased more slowly with problem size than did RT for non-tie problems. Findings support a distinction between location and accessibility of information in a network. (21 ref)

Differences in mathematical competence between U S and Chinese children first emerge during the preschool years, favor Chinese children, and are limited to specific aspects of mathematical competence The base-10 structure of number names is less obvious in English than in Chinese, differences between these languages are reflected in children's difficulties learning to count Language differences do not affect other aspects of early mathematics, including counting small sets and solving simple numerical problems Because later mathematics increasingly involves manipulation of symbols, this early deficit in apprehending the base-10 structure of number names may provide a basis for previously reported differences in mathematical competence favoring Chinese schoolchildren

Findings support previous research indicating significant genetic and non-shared environmental influences on AN syndromes.