The role of response selection and input monitoring in solving simple arithmetical products.

Several studies have already shown that the central executive, as conceptualized in the working memory model of Baddeley and Hitch (1974), is important in simple mental arithmetic. Recently, attempts have been made to define more basic processes that underlie the "central executive." In this vein, monitoring, response selection, updating, mental shifting, and inhibition have been proposed as processes capturing executive control. Previous research has shown that secondary tasks that require a choice decision impair the calculation of simple sums, whereas input monitoring has not been found to be a sufficient condition to impair the calculation of sums (Deschuyteneer & Vandierendonck, 2005). In the present article, we report data on the role of input monitoring and response selection in solving simple arithmetical products. In four experiments, participants solved one-digit products (e.g., 5 x 7) in a single-task, as well as in a dual-task, condition. Just as for solving simple sums, the results show a strong involvement of response selection in the calculating of simple products, whereas input monitoring does not seem to impair the calculation of such products. These findings give additional evidence that response selection may be one of the processes needed for solving simple mental arithmetic problems.