On the Relation Between Production and Verification Tasks in the Psychology of Simple Arithmetic

Most theories of arithmetic assume that verification tasks are performed by producing an answer and comparing it with the presented answer. Verification is production plus comparison. We tested this hypothesis by imposing delays between arithmetic arguments and answers, in theory imposing delays between production and comparison. Long delays should absorb effects on production, and reaction time, from the onset of the answer, should reflect only comparison. Six experiments were conducted, three with addition and three with multiplication. Experiments 1 and 2 used experimenter-imposed delays; Experiments 3 and 4 used subject-imposed delays. In Experiments 5 and 6, subjects uttered the sum or product before exposing the answer. In Experiments 1-4, argument magnitude affected reaction time, even at the longest delay; in Experiments 5 and 6, argument magnitude effects were reduced. These results are contrary to the hypothesis that verification is production plus comparison and consistent with the idea that verification involves comparing the equation as a whole against memory.