18 college students solved addition problems with either an addition algorithm that requires a written record of intermediate results and running sums or with the standard algorithm which does not require such a written record. Students who used the experimental algorithm had significantly faster reaction times to a tone than those who used the traditional algorithm. This result supports the view that arithmetic tasks are composed of several subtasks which are performed simultaneously. A capacity model of attention is suggested as an appropriate paradigm to use in investigating arithmetic processing.
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