Decomposing the problem-size effect: A comparison of response time distributions across cultures

Abstract

Is the locus of the problem-size effect in mental arithmetic different across cultures? In a novel approach to this question, the ex-Gaussian distributional model was applied to response times for large (e.g., 8 × 9) and small (e.g., 2 × 3) problems obtained from Chinese and Canadian graduate students in a multiplication production task (LeFevre & Liu, 1997). The problem-size effect for the Chinese group occurred in μ (the mean of the normal component), whereas the problem-size effect for the Canadian group occurred in both μ and τ (the mean of the exponential component). The results support the position that the problem-size effect for the Chinese group is purely a memory-retrieval effect, whereas for the Canadian group, it is an effect of both retrieval and the use of nonretrieval solution procedures.