For students to advance beyond arithmetic, they must learn how to attend to the structure of math notation. This process can be challenging due to students' left-to-right computing tendencies. Brackets are used in mathematics to indicate precedence but can also be used as superfluous cues and perceptual grouping mechanisms in instructional…

This dissertation reports the results of a research project that examined the effects of varying rates of reinforcement on students' math performance and assignment preference. The relationship between students' instructional level and the rate of reinforcement threshold for influencing assignment preference was also explored. Participants were…