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Article
Disfluent Fonts Don't Help People Solve Math Problems
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
  • Andrew Meyer
  • Shane Frederick
  • Terence C. Burnham
  • Juan D. Guevara Pinto, Georgia Southern University
  • Ty W. Boyer, Georgia Southern University
  • Linden J. Ball
  • Gordon Pennycook
  • Rakefet Ackerman
  • Valerie A. Thompson
  • Jonathon P. Schuldt
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2015
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000049
Abstract

Prior research suggests that reducing font clarity can cause people to consider printed information more carefully. The most famous demonstration showed that participants were more likely to solve counterintuitive math problems when they were printed in hard-to-read font. However, after pooling data from that experiment with 16 attempts to replicate it, we find no effect on solution rates. We examine potential moderating variables, including cognitive ability, presentation format, and experimental setting, but we find no evidence of a disfluent font benefit under any conditions. More generally, though disfluent fonts slightly increase response times, we find little evidence that they activate analytic reasoning.

Citation Information
Andrew Meyer, Shane Frederick, Terence C. Burnham, Juan D. Guevara Pinto, et al.. "Disfluent Fonts Don't Help People Solve Math Problems" Journal of Experimental Psychology: General Vol. 144 Iss. 2 (2015) p. e16 - e30 ISSN: 1939-2222
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ty_boyer/81/