Abstract
The practice of mathematical word problem is ubiquitous and thought to impact academic achievement. However, the underlying neural mechanisms are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigate how lexical consistency of word problem description is modulated in adults' brain responses during word problem solution. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging methods, we examined compare word problems that included relational statements, such as “A dumpling costs 9 dollars. A wonton is 2 dollars less than a dumpling. How much does a wonton cost?” and manipulated lexical consistency (consistent: the relational term consistent with the operation to be performed, e.g., more—addition/inconsistent: e.g., less—addition) and problem operation (addition/subtraction). We found a consistency by operation interaction in the widespread fronto-insular-parietal activations, including the anterior insula, dorsoanterior cingulate cortex, middle frontal gyrus, and intraparietal sulcus, such that inconsistent problems engaged stronger activations than consistent problems for addition, whereas the consistency effect was inverse for subtraction. Critically, these results were more salient in the less successful problem solvers than their more successful peers. Our study is the first to demonstrate that lexical consistency effects on arithmetic neural networks are modulated during reading word problem that required distinct arithmetic operations. More broadly, our study has strong potentials to add linkage between neuroscience and education by remediating deficits and enhance instruction design in the school curriculum.
Highlights
Word problems are a pedagogical practice wherein problems are presented as verbal narratives rather than numerical formulations (Verschaffel et al, 2000)
We investigate neural network implications of lexical consistency on arithmetic word problem solving by collecting functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 36 healthy adults who were proficient at general arithmetic problem solving skills
We investigated the neural circuits of how word problem deciphering varies between arithmetic operations in young adults that were mature in arithmetic skills
Summary
Word problems are a pedagogical practice wherein problems are presented as verbal narratives rather than numerical formulations (Verschaffel et al, 2000). This type of presentation is one of the most common materials in school curricula for teaching students to transfer mathematical knowledge into real-world contexts. Performance on these problems can be predictive of subsequent success in learning higher-level mathematics skills, such as algebra (National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008; Fuchs et al, 2012; Powell and Fuchs, 2014). We attempted to investigate the brain mechanisms of how lexical components of arithmetic word problem description affect problem solution using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
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