Math Cognition – Jo-Anne LeFevre
I have studied how people process arithmetic and other numerical knowledge for over 20 years.
Individual differences in adults’ solutions to arithmetic problems
In 1996 I published two papers on the variability in adults’ solutions to arithmetic problems.
I have continued to pursue this issue (Smith-Chant & LeFevre, 2003; LeFevre et al., 2003; in press; Penner-Wilger et al., 2002) and because of the ongoing citations, receive many requests to review papers on this topic. These publications significantly affected the direction of empirical work and theorizing on adult mental arithmetic.
Working memory and arithmetic
Elaboration of the link between WM and arithmetic has helped to connect research in field of mathematical cognition to that on other complex cognitive tasks, because theories of WM are central to understanding cognitive processes.
This issue is currently central in the field, such that I have been a reviewer of 12 papers on the topic in the last 18 months. My current NSERC grant elaborates and extends this work as part of my developing model of mathematical cognition.
Funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
SAMPLE OF RECENT RELATED PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS
- LeFevre, J., DeStefano, D., Coleman, B., & Shanahan, T. (2005). Mathematical cognition and working memory. In J. I. D. Campbell (Ed.) Handbook of Mathematical Cognition (pp. 361-377). New York: Psychology Press.
- Kalaman, D. A., & LeFevre, J. (in press). Working memory demands of exact and approximate addition. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology.
- LeFevre, J., DeStefano, D., Penner-Wilger, M., & Daley, K. E. ( 2006). Selection of procedures for mental subtraction. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60, 209-220.
- Penner-Wilger, M., & LeFevre, J. (2006). Decomposing the Mean: Using Distributional Analyses to Provide a Detailed Description of Addition and Multiplication Latencies. Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Vancouver, BC.
- Roberts, M. A., LeFevre, J., Penner-Wilger, M., & Pandeliev, V. (2006, November). Fowr + Siks: Pseudonumophones and the impact of phonological codes in solving simple arithmetic problems. Accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Houston, TX.
- Deslauriers, W. A., Penner-Wilger, M., Shanahan, T., Pyke, A., LeFevre, J., Trbovich, P., & Roberts, M. A. (2006, June). Gender differences in arithmetic: All in your head? Presented at the International Conference in Mathematics, Sciences and Science Education 2006, Aveiro, Portugal.
- LeFevre, J., & Penner-Wilger, M. (2006, June). Dual-route model of arithmetic. Presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science, Saskatoon, SK.
- LeFevre, J., Penner-Wilger, M., Pyke, A., Shanahan, T., & Trbovich, P. (2006, June). A Calculated Risk: Is Arithmetic Skill Declining in Canada? Presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science, Saskatoon, SK.
- Coleman, B., LeFevre, J. (2002) Fractionating the Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad: Active Processes Required! Presented at CSBBCS, Vancouver, Canada.
- Penner-Wilger, M., LeFevre, J. (2003). Procedure Use in Basic Arithmetic: Developing an Objective Indicator. Presented at the Banff Annual Seminar in Cognitive Science.
- Shanahan, T., LeFevre, J. (2003). Addition Strategies: An Algorithm for Solving Multi-digit Problems
Presented at BASICS, Banff, May 2003.