Han Cheng-Ching, Yang Tsung-Han, Lin Chia-Yuan, Yen Nai-Shing
Department of Psychology, National Chengchi UniversityTaipei, Taiwan; Research Center for Testing and Assessment, National Academy for Educational ResearchNew Taipei City, Taiwan.
Department of Psychology, National Chengchi University Taipei, Taiwan.
Front Psychol. 2016 Feb 2;7:72. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00072. eCollection 2016.
Is domain-general memory updating ability predictive of calculation skills or are such skills better predicted by the capacity for updating specifically numerical information? Here, we used multidigit mental multiplication (MMM) as a measure for calculating skill as this operation requires the accurate maintenance and updating of information in addition to skills needed for arithmetic more generally. In Experiment 1, we found that only individual differences with regard to a task updating numerical information following addition (MUcalc) could predict the performance of MMM, perhaps owing to common elements between the task and MMM. In Experiment 2, new updating tasks were designed to clarify this: a spatial updating task with no numbers, a numerical task with no calculation, and a word task. The results showed that both MUcalc and the spatial task were able to predict the performance of MMM but only with the more difficult problems, while other updating tasks did not predict performance. It is concluded that relevant processes involved in updating the contents of working memory support mental arithmetic in adults.
领域通用的记忆更新能力能否预测计算技能？还是说，这些技能能更好地通过专门更新数字信息的能力来预测？在此，我们使用多位数心算乘法（MMM）作为计算技能的一项指标，因为这种运算除了更普遍的算术所需技能外，还需要准确维持和更新信息。在实验1中，我们发现只有在加法运算后更新数字信息的任务（MUcalc）中的个体差异能够预测MMM的表现，这可能是由于该任务与MMM之间存在共同要素。在实验2中，我们设计了新的更新任务来阐明这一点：一个没有数字的空间更新任务、一个没有计算的数字任务和一个文字任务。结果表明，MUcalc和空间任务都能够预测MMM的表现，但仅限于更难的问题，而其他更新任务则无法预测表现。研究得出结论，工作记忆内容更新所涉及的相关过程支持成年人的心算。
