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Do adults treat equivalent fractions equally? Adults' strategies and errors during fraction reasoning

Fitzsimmons, Charles Joseph
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2529-2164
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1565611618844761

Abstract Details

2019, MA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences.
Understanding fraction magnitudes is important for achievement and in daily life. However, adults' fraction reasoning sometimes appears to reflect whole number bias and other times reflects accurate reasoning. In the current experiments, we examined how contextual factors and individual differences in executive functioning (Experiment 1), knowledge of fraction equivalence (both experiments), and strategy use (Experiment 2) influenced adults' fraction reasoning. Adults were only biased by fraction components when reasoning about fractions as holistic magnitudes was difficult: when estimating under a time constraint, when estimating fractions with large components, or when comparing fractions close in decimal distance. However, adults' knowledge of fraction equivalence moderated the effects of whole number components on their fraction reasoning: only adults with less knowledge of equivalence were biased by components when reasoning about one fraction at a time. Adults with more knowledge of fraction equivalence were able to reason about fractions as holistic magnitudes through adaptive strategy choices.
Clarissa Thompson, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Ciesla Jeff, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Dunlosky John, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Was Chris, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
77 p.
Cognitive Psychology; Psychology
Whole number bias; fraction reasoning; fraction representations; strategies; adaptive strategy choice

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Fitzsimmons, C. J. (2019). Do adults treat equivalent fractions equally? Adults' strategies and errors during fraction reasoning [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1565611618844761

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Fitzsimmons, Charles. Do adults treat equivalent fractions equally? Adults' strategies and errors during fraction reasoning. 2019. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1565611618844761.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Fitzsimmons, Charles. "Do adults treat equivalent fractions equally? Adults' strategies and errors during fraction reasoning." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1565611618844761

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1565611618844761
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© 2019, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.