Complex fraction comparisons and the natural number bias: The role of benchmarks

People are often better at comparing fractions when the larger fraction has the larger rather than the smaller natural number components. However, there is conflicting evidence about whether this “natural number bias” occurs for complex fraction comparisons (e.g., 23/52 vs. 11/19). It is also unclear whether using benchmarks such as 1/2 or 1/4 enhances performance and reduces the bias (e.g., 11/19 > 1/2 and 23/52 < 1/2, hence 11/19 > 23/52). We...