The process of complex mental arithmetic : a comparison between novices and piano players

Abstract

The mental representation and processes involved in complex mental arithmetic, and the effect of music training on mathematical processing are still unclear in the literature. There were two experiments in this thesis. In experiment 1, we investigated how complex mental arithmetic involving double-digit numbers are represented and processed mentally with a dual-task paradigm. Furthermore, to better understand how the processing pattern due to music training can potentially enhance one’s mathematical processing, we recruited a group of piano players and examined their differences compared with novices in experiment 2. In the first experiment, it was found that participants in general engaged more visuospatial processing in both double-digit addition and multiplication. There was a shift in processing pattern in multiplication, where the reliance on verbal processing in single-digit multiplication has been shifted to visuospatial processing in double-digit multiplication. Participants may use visuospatial processing to hold the intermediate solutions visually and to approximate numerosity. In the second experiment, it was found that piano players performed better in calculation tasks (especially in addition) under full attention. The superior performance among piano players may be related to their processing pattern as revealed by the dual task condition. Specifically, unlike novices, who employed more visuospatial than verbal processing to carry out complex arithmetic, piano players did not show such strong preference. The ability to not rely on a particular kind of processing may allow piano players to have greater flexibility in engaging either verbal or visuospatial processing in doing complex arithmetic. This is consistent with previous studies showing musicians having more bilateral connectivity compared to novices. This suggests that the effect of music training can be transferred to mathematical processing.