Complex Multiplication Center Operator Strategy Selection And Execution

All the time, researches in abroad about the strategy of mental arithmetic are forced on the problems that which strategy would be used to solve simple arithmetic problems, memory retrieval or counting, and the relation between the type of the simple arithmetic problems and the strategy that was chosen to solve the problems. The process of the strategy selection and strategy execution of complex multiplications in mental arithmetic haven't been figured out by now. This study expands the processes of exact arithmetic of complex multiplications, by using the classic dual-task of working memory, to investigate the processes of different strategy selection and strategy execution of complex multiplications in mental arithmetic with different working memory conditions. The present study tries to find out the relations among different working memory load, strategy selection and strategy execution.A total of 30 participants solved complex multiplications of two-digit operands, using two strategies that differed in complexity. One strategy is converting problems into easier problems; the other one is multiply the two-digit operands directly. Participants accomplished these tasks in three conditions:a no-load condition, a voice-working-memory load condition and a vision-working-memory load condition. The choice/no-choice method was used to obtain unbiased strategy execution and strategy selection data. Participants were asked to join all the conditions. All the 60 problems in this study can be converted into easier problems (e.g.,32*16).The results showed that different working-memory load and different strategy selection both influence the process of complex multiplications in mental arithmetic. Both voice-working-memory load and vision-working-memory load influence the two different strategies significantly. Additionally, the effects of voice-working-memory load are more significantly when the conversion was chosen to solve the problems. The conversion always costs more seconds than others without a higher accuracy rates. However, participants always prefer the strategy converting problems into easier problems.