Students who learned their arithmetic skills in China are 58% more adept at solving complex arithmetic problems in their heads than Canadian students, according to new research.

Cognitive psychologists at the University of Saskatchewan performed a cross-cultural study of students' work habits and conclude students' mathematical success may be influenced by whether they used a calculator to speed through their homework during their school days.

Dr. Jamie Campbell, a professor of psychology, and Qilin Xue, a graduate student, based their study on complex math questions given to three groups of college students: Chinese students educated in China, Chinese students educated in Canada and non-Chinese students educated in Canada.

The students were asked to answer a series of complex arithmetic equations -- double-digit multiplication and long division, for example -- during a set period.

The students educated in China answered 58% more of the questions correctly than non-Asian Canadian students and 33% more than Chinese-Canadian students.

The results correlated with another question asked of the study's 72 subjects: Students who reported the greatest reliance on calculators also had the lowest scores in the study's complex arithmetic component. The vast majority of the students educated in China -- 83% -- said they did not rely on calculators when they were children, while only 44% of Canadian students could say the same.

The findings suggest that students who use calculators in their early years may not develop the same short-term memory skills as their peers, said Dr. Campbell.

"The bottom line is if you practise complex arithmetic without the aid of a calculator, and do mental arithmetic, then you'll develop that skill," he said. "If you practise your complex arithmetic with a calculator, then you'll get good at doing it with a calculator."

Complex mathematical equations, such as adding or dividing two-digit numbers, place many demands on a person's short-term memory because it can involve several operations, such as carrying, borrowing and place-keeping, so students who use their heads to solve equations likely take their memory retrieval skills to a higher level, Dr. Campbell explained.

But he warned parents not to throw away their children's calculators just yet: Most people agree that students benefit from mastering arithmetic using both sets of skills. Other external factors may also play into a student's mathematic success, he added.

Dr. Campbell stressed that nothing in the study suggested that biology or genetics gave Chinese students an advantage.

The study's conclusions appear in the June issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

A second study in the same edition suggests people who experience high levels of anxiety about solving mathematical problems made more errors than their peers because their worries inhibit their short-term memories.