Additive Tendencies in Problem Solving: Evidence from The Chinese Character Conversion Task

doi:10.12139/j.1672-0628.2024.04.004

Abstract

Abstract:

Previous studies have found that people are more inclined to use additive strategies and ignore favorable subtractive strategies when solving problems, however, what factors influence this preference for addition remains unclear. The present study explored this issue by using a Chinese character conversion task. Experiment 1 found that when using a single strategy (either adding or subtracting one stroke alone) to convert a false character into a valid one, the frequency of subtractive answers was higher than that of additive ones, which suggests that subtraction is easier than addition. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the frequency of additive answers was higher than subtractive ones under a free-choice strategy condition where participants could choose to add or subtract one stroke. Additionally, the high perceptual integration condition caused higher proportion of additive answers compared to the low perceptual integration condition. This study validates the additive tendency and reveals a new finding, that is, the intercomponent perceptual integration enhances the additive tendency.

Key words: problem solving, additive tendency, perception integration, Chinese character

摘要：

以往研究发现，人们解决问题时更倾向于使用加法策略而忽略有利的减法策略，但加法倾向性的影响因素仍不清楚。本研究基于汉字转换任务探讨该问题。实验1结果发现，使用单一策略(单独增加或减少一笔)让假汉字变真字时，减法解答频次高于加法，表明减法策略更简单；实验2结果显示，自由策略(可自由增加或减少)中加法答案频次高于减法，且高知觉整体性(笔画同色)条件下相较于低知觉整体性(笔画异色)加法答案比例更高。本研究不仅验证了加法倾向性的存在，还揭示了一个新的发现：部件间的知觉整体性增强了加法倾向性。

关键词: 问题解决, 加法倾向性, 知觉整体性, 汉字

Zhengxi LIN, Zhonglu ZHANG. Additive Tendencies in Problem Solving: Evidence from The Chinese Character Conversion Task[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2024, 22(4): 457-462.

林正希, 张忠炉. 问题解决中的加法倾向性—来自汉字转换任务的证据[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2024, 22(4): 457-462.

Figures/Tables 3

References 0

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	加法	减法	Mann-Whitney检验统计量	p
目标字	281.53	294.55	551.00	0.741

	加法	减法	Mann-Whitney检验统计量	p
目标字	281.53	294.55	551.00	0.741

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