THE ROLE OF WORKING-MEMORY RESOURCES IN SIMPLE COGNITIVE ARITHMETIC

Two experiments tested the hypothesis that simple arithmetic requires working memory resources. Subjects were presented with a simple verifi cation task (e.g. 8 + 4 = 12. True? False?) with (or without) secondar y tasks. We varied the difficulty of the problems (i.e. easy vs hard p roblems) and the potential for inducing associative confusion (e.g. 8 x 4 = 12). Secondary tasks were chosen so as to overload the phonologi cal loop and the central executive of the working memory system. We fo und greater disruption of performance on true problems when both the p honological loop and the central executive were overloaded, and greate r disruption of performance on false problems when the central executi ve system was overloaded. This pattern of results is consistent with t he working memory resource hypothesis and suggests that the central ex ecutive is a critical system involved in simple arithmetic. Finally, t he results of the present study on both true and false problems and th eir implications for cognitive arithmetic theories are discussed.