Dividing Attention Increases Operational Momentum

Abstract: When adding or subtracting two quantities, adults often compute an estimated outcome that is larger or smaller, respectively, than the actual outcome, a bias referred to as “operational momentum”. The effects of attention on operational momentum were investigated. Participants viewed a display in which two arrays of objects were added, or one array was subtracted from another array, and judged whether a subsequent outcome (probe) array contained the correct or incorrect number of objects. In a baseline condition, only the arrays to be added or subtracted were viewed. In divided attention conditions, participants simultaneously viewed a sequence of colors or shapes, and judged which color (a non-spatial judgment) or shape (a spatial judgment) was repeated. Operational momentum occurred in all conditions, but was higher in divided attention conditions than in the baseline condition, primarily for addition problems. This pattern suggests that dividing attention, rather than decreasing.... https://jnc.psychopen.eu/index.php/jnc/article/view/5731

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Dividing Attention Increases Operational Momentum ; volume:3 ; number:2 ; day:22 ; month:12 ; year:2017 ; Journal of numerical cognition ; 3, Heft 2 (22.12.2017)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: McCrink, Koleen ; Hubbard, Timothy

Further information

• DOI: 10.5964/jnc.v3i2.34
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2021032004193661377109
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:27 AM CEST