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The influence of the place-value structure of the Arabic number ...

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fixations on <strong>the</strong> result’s decade digit. In line with <strong>the</strong>se expectations, evaluation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> eye<br />

fixation data showed that <strong>the</strong> increase in <strong>number</strong> <strong>of</strong> fixations due to <strong>the</strong> carry operation was<br />

indeed more pronounced on <strong>the</strong> unit than on <strong>the</strong> decade digits <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> summands. <strong>The</strong> reversed<br />

pattern was found for decade and unit digit <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> result. In summary, <strong>the</strong> results corroborate<br />

<strong>the</strong> notion <strong>of</strong> carry addition problems being associated with specific processes <strong>of</strong> <strong>place</strong>-<strong>value</strong><br />

integration.<br />

Section 3: On <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>place</strong>-<strong>value</strong> integration for arithmetic development<br />

Study 3 set <strong>of</strong>f to investigate <strong>the</strong> differential <strong>influence</strong> <strong>of</strong> children’s early <strong>place</strong>-<strong>value</strong><br />

knowledge on <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir spatial representation <strong>of</strong> <strong>number</strong> magnitude. In a<br />

recent study, Moeller, Pixner, Kaufmann, and Nuerk (2009) found evidence for children’s<br />

spatial <strong>number</strong> magnitude representation to be <strong>influence</strong>d by <strong>the</strong> <strong>place</strong>-<strong>value</strong> <strong>structure</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>Arabic</strong> <strong>number</strong> system. <strong>The</strong>ir estimates when localizing <strong>the</strong> position <strong>of</strong> a given <strong>number</strong> on a<br />

hypo<strong>the</strong>tic <strong>number</strong> line are accounted for best by a two-linear model with a breakpoint at 10<br />

representing two different representations for single- and two-digit <strong>number</strong>s. <strong>The</strong> validity <strong>of</strong><br />

this finding was evaluated in a cross-cultural study with German- and Italian-speaking<br />

children using a <strong>number</strong> word system with and without inversion, respectively. <strong>The</strong> results<br />

clearly indicated that <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>place</strong>-<strong>value</strong> <strong>structure</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Arabic</strong> <strong>number</strong> system<br />

for <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> a spatial representation <strong>of</strong> <strong>number</strong> magnitude was not determined by<br />

properties <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>number</strong> word system. Similar to <strong>the</strong> German-speaking children, Italianspeaking<br />

children’s estimation performance was also conceptualized best by a two-linear<br />

model reflecting two different representations for single- and two-digit <strong>number</strong>s. However,<br />

estimations <strong>of</strong> German-speaking children were less accurate and in particular so on items for<br />

which an inversion error resulted in a large difference between <strong>the</strong> actual and <strong>the</strong> wrongly<br />

understood <strong>number</strong> (e.g., 29 92). Interestingly, evaluation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> direction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> estimation<br />

error also corroborated <strong>the</strong> notion <strong>of</strong> German-speaking children being more prone to mix up<br />

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