Implicit Learning of Arithmetic Regularities Is Facilitated by Proximal Contrast

Richard W. Prather,Johan J. Bolhuis

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048868

Richard W. Prather, Johan J. Bolhuis

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0048868

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Oct 31, 2012
Citations: 11	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Indiana University Bloomington

Abstract

Natural number arithmetic is a simple, powerful and important symbolic system. Despite intense focus on learning in cognitive development and educational research many adults have weak knowledge of the system. In current study participants learn arithmetic principles via an implicit learning paradigm. Participants learn not by solving arithmetic equations, but through viewing and evaluating example equations, similar to the implicit learning of artificial grammars. We expand this to the symbolic arithmetic system. Specifically we find that exposure to principle-inconsistent examples facilitates the acquisition of arithmetic principle knowledge if the equations are presented to the learning in a temporally proximate fashion. The results expand on research of the implicit learning of regularities and suggest that contrasting cases, show to facilitate explicit arithmetic learning, is also relevant to implicit learning of arithmetic.

Highlights

In many learning domains behavioral researchers have sought to characterize the knowledge that separates the novices from the experts, and to describe how that knowledge is acquired
Prior research [18] has suggested that children can learn arithmetic principle knowledge through exposure to a mix of principleconsistent and principle-inconsistent equations
The current study expands on these initial investigations of arithmetic principle acquisition, drawing on what is known from psychological research about the implicit learning of regularities

Summary

Introduction

In many learning domains behavioral researchers have sought to characterize the knowledge that separates the novices from the experts, and to describe how that knowledge is acquired. In the domain of arithmetic the majority of research concentrates on determining which principles learners know at particular points in development [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]. This type knowledge inventory is both useful and necessary. Though prior work focuses on child participants in a classroom setting, in the current study we evaluate adult participants in a lab setting This enables us to evaluate how arithmetic principles may be implicitly learned in comparison to the expansive literature on implicit learning of artificial grammars

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Discussion

Conclusion