Retrieval Is Affected By Different Input Formats In Mental Calculation: A Combined Behavioral And ERP Study

Mental calculation is complex cognitive procedure, which including three processing stages: Convert the stimulus into the appropriate internal codes, retrieve or calculate the answer, and produce the answer, i.e. encoding, calculation, and answer production. Whether these three stages are independent and additive or integrated and interactive? In other words, Retrieval or computation is affected by different input formats? This is an active topic in recent cognitive research. Different theory models have different explanations. Different inputs will be transformed the only one abstract internal representation according to abstract code model. As a result, inputs will not affect retrieval or computation. Triple code model also has the same predict, though it admits that internal representation is not one. Only encoding complex model predicts both. In present study, Combined ERP and behavioral study, It is about to find out whether retrieval is affected by different input formats in mental calculation. Exp1 is to ascertain how Arabic numbers combined with Chinese number words affect retrieval. In the exp2, addition compute format is presented, and subjects should compute it as multiplication, or multiplication is presented , and subjects then take it as addition, which is aim to explore whether different compute formats affect retrieval in mental calculation. Difference appears in both 200-300ms and 450-570 time window in exp1, and 220-570ms time window in exp2. It indicates that retrieval is indeed affected by different input formats through encoding, and also proves input, encoding and retrieval that mental calculation involved are not independent or additive, which is conform to the predict of encoding complex hypothesis and the economical and complicated way that brain works.