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Four matched groups of eight children in each of Grades 1, 2, and 3 attempted a division problem in one of four distraction settings: minimal, situational, color-attribute, or spatial-numerical distraction. The effects of both grade level and distraction setting on problem-solving performance were highly significant. The results suggest that distractors play a key role in nonverbal problem solving. Much more research, however, is needed if the role of distractors in nonverbal problem situations is to be clearly understood.
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Bana et al. (1978) studied this question.
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