Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

We evaluate how learners construct internal representationsof fraction values. Symbolic numbers written using fractionnotation are difficult for both children and adults to use.Errors made by learners suggest that even experienced adultscan lack fluency with fractions. One such error is the NaturalNumber bias phenomenon: when the relative size of fractionsvalues to be compared is incongruent with the relative size ofthe fraction components learners show a reaction time delayor decreased accuracy. For example, noting that 1/7 is smallerthan 1/5 may take longer that noting that 3/10 is smaller than5/10. We adjust the temporal dynamics of the fractioncomparison task to characterize how learners constructfraction values from the constituent parts. We also create amathematical model of the fraction value construction.