TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2013//
TI  - How many is a zillion? Sources of number distortion
JO  - Journal of experimental psychology: learning, memory, and cognition
A1  - Rips, Lance J.
SP  - 1257
EP  - 1264
VL  - 39
IS  - 4
N2  - 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>
LA  - en
SN  - 0278-7393
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0031143
ID  - ref1
ER  -