Comparisons between processing linguistic and mathematical negations from the perspective of the practice effect and working memory

A negated proposition can be expressed linguistically and mathematically. The current study examined the one-step and two-step procedure accounts from the perspective of the practice effect and working memory by comparing performance in two simple linguistic and mathematical verification tasks. Two...

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Main Authors: Hikari Kinjo, Toshiki Saito
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2025-01-01
Series:Language and Cognition
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1866980825000195/type/journal_article
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author Hikari Kinjo
Toshiki Saito
author_facet Hikari Kinjo
Toshiki Saito
author_sort Hikari Kinjo
collection DOAJ
description A negated proposition can be expressed linguistically and mathematically. The current study examined the one-step and two-step procedure accounts from the perspective of the practice effect and working memory by comparing performance in two simple linguistic and mathematical verification tasks. Two online experiments were conducted with simple verification tasks over 10 practice sessions: a figure-equation task (e.g., ● ≠ ▲) and a figure-sentence task (e.g., ● is not ▲). Although reaction times in the equation task were faster than in the sentence task, both tasks showed that reaction times in negations took longer than those in affirmations regardless of the sameness of the figures in the target propositions (i.e., TA < FN and FA < TN) in both experiments, and the trend was not changed by the practice. The similar trends across the tasks, regardless of the practice, support the two-step procedure account, in which participants first evaluate the positive argument of negation and then reverse the response in negative propositions. Furthermore, high correlations between performance in the tasks and both verbal and spatial working memory tasks suggest that verification judgments may involve not only language processing but also more general cognitive processing.
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spelling doaj-art-dd83fa9166c14314bdfbf96f2352786e2025-08-20T02:30:05ZengCambridge University PressLanguage and Cognition1866-98081866-98592025-01-011710.1017/langcog.2025.19Comparisons between processing linguistic and mathematical negations from the perspective of the practice effect and working memoryHikari Kinjo0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2126-3531Toshiki Saito1Faculty of Psychology, Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo, JapanDepartment of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, JapanA negated proposition can be expressed linguistically and mathematically. The current study examined the one-step and two-step procedure accounts from the perspective of the practice effect and working memory by comparing performance in two simple linguistic and mathematical verification tasks. Two online experiments were conducted with simple verification tasks over 10 practice sessions: a figure-equation task (e.g., ● ≠ ▲) and a figure-sentence task (e.g., ● is not ▲). Although reaction times in the equation task were faster than in the sentence task, both tasks showed that reaction times in negations took longer than those in affirmations regardless of the sameness of the figures in the target propositions (i.e., TA < FN and FA < TN) in both experiments, and the trend was not changed by the practice. The similar trends across the tasks, regardless of the practice, support the two-step procedure account, in which participants first evaluate the positive argument of negation and then reverse the response in negative propositions. Furthermore, high correlations between performance in the tasks and both verbal and spatial working memory tasks suggest that verification judgments may involve not only language processing but also more general cognitive processing.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1866980825000195/type/journal_articlecognitive processingnegationpractice effecttrue-false verification judgmentworking memory
spellingShingle Hikari Kinjo
Toshiki Saito
Comparisons between processing linguistic and mathematical negations from the perspective of the practice effect and working memory
Language and Cognition
cognitive processing
negation
practice effect
true-false verification judgment
working memory
title Comparisons between processing linguistic and mathematical negations from the perspective of the practice effect and working memory
title_full Comparisons between processing linguistic and mathematical negations from the perspective of the practice effect and working memory
title_fullStr Comparisons between processing linguistic and mathematical negations from the perspective of the practice effect and working memory
title_full_unstemmed Comparisons between processing linguistic and mathematical negations from the perspective of the practice effect and working memory
title_short Comparisons between processing linguistic and mathematical negations from the perspective of the practice effect and working memory
title_sort comparisons between processing linguistic and mathematical negations from the perspective of the practice effect and working memory
topic cognitive processing
negation
practice effect
true-false verification judgment
working memory
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1866980825000195/type/journal_article
work_keys_str_mv AT hikarikinjo comparisonsbetweenprocessinglinguisticandmathematicalnegationsfromtheperspectiveofthepracticeeffectandworkingmemory
AT toshikisaito comparisonsbetweenprocessinglinguisticandmathematicalnegationsfromtheperspectiveofthepracticeeffectandworkingmemory