Multiplication, division and factoring: transfer of learning between related operations

The Identical Elements model (Rickard, 2005) predicts transfer of learning between multiplication and factoring (i.e., when given the product, answering with the factors), but not between multiplication and division or between division and factoring. Recently, the first prediction was confirmed in a study by Campbell and Robert (2008). They showed that the bidirectional association in multiplication memory (between multiplication operands and their products and underlying both multiplication and factoring performance), behaves adaptively: Interference occurred when only one operation (multiplication or factoring) was practiced, facilitation occurred when both operations were practiced. In this talk, a series of experiments will be reported in which the second and third prediction were tested.status: publishe