TEXT INTEGRATION AND MATHEMATICAL CONNECTIONS - A COMPUTER-MODEL OF ARITHMETIC WORD PROBLEM-SOLVING

Understanding arithmetic word problems involves a complex interaction of text comprehension and mathematical precesses. This article present s a computer simulation designed to capture the working memory demands required in ''bottom-up'' comprehension of arithmetic word problems. The simulation's sentence-level parser and text integration component reflect the importance of processing the problem from its original nat ural language presentatation. Children's probability of solution was a nalyzed in exploratory regression analyses as a function of the simula tion's sentence-level and text integration processes. Working memory v ariables measuring the combined effects of concepts to remember and te xt integration inferences account for a significant proportion of vari ance in children's solution probabilities across the first four grade levels (K-3). Consistent with previous results from others, which high lighted the significance of small changes in problem wording, the simu lation offers a process-oriented perspective as to why natural languag e presentation constrains the comprehension of mathematical relationsh ips.