@article{ref1,
title="How many is a zillion? Sources of number distortion",
journal="Journal of experimental psychology: learning, memory, and cognition",
year="2013",
author="Rips, Lance J.",
volume="39",
number="4",
pages="1257-1264",
abstract="When young children attempt to locate the positions of numerals on a number line, the positions are often logarithmically rather than linearly distributed. This finding has been taken as evidence that the children represent numbers on a mental number line that is logarithmically calibrated. This article reports a statistical simulation showing that log-like positioning is a consequence of 2 factors: the bounded nature of the number line and greater uncertainty about the meaning of the larger, less frequent number words. Two experiments likewise show that even college students produce log-like placements under the same 2 conditions. In Experiment 1, participants identified positions on a number line for a set that included both conventional and fictitious numbers (e.g., a zillion). In Experiment 2, participants did the same for conventional numbers that included some larger, unfamiliar items (e.g., a nonillion). Both experiments produced results better fit by logarithmic than by linear functions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0278-7393",
doi="10.1037/a0031143",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0031143"
}