The numerical representation is spatially coded into a mental number line (MNL). According to SNARC effect, the MNL is oriented from left-to-right horizontally and from bottom-to-top vertically. The present chapter aimed to investigate how number induced spatial biases in both horizontal and vertical dimension. In the physical line and digit-string bisection tasks (Experiment 1), more rightward bias as magnitude increased was found in horizontal condition, while more upward bias as magnitude decreased was showed in vertical condition. Pseudoneglect was also found for physical lines horizontally and vertically. In a digit flanked line bisection task (Experiment 2), the magnitude processing affected the task performance. Specifically, the congruent condition (i.e. 1-7) determined spatial biases compared to incongruent condition (i.e. 7-1) significantly in vertical and in horizontal orientation. Only in vertical condition, small number (i.e. 1-1) determined an underestimation while large number (i.e. 7-7) determined an overestimation of line length. On the whole the results seem to confirm that the spatial-numerical association along horizontal dimension is stable while its representation depends on task requirement along vertical dimension.
Bisecting number lines:spatial biases in horizontal and vertical orientations
FABBRI, Marco
2011
Abstract
The numerical representation is spatially coded into a mental number line (MNL). According to SNARC effect, the MNL is oriented from left-to-right horizontally and from bottom-to-top vertically. The present chapter aimed to investigate how number induced spatial biases in both horizontal and vertical dimension. In the physical line and digit-string bisection tasks (Experiment 1), more rightward bias as magnitude increased was found in horizontal condition, while more upward bias as magnitude decreased was showed in vertical condition. Pseudoneglect was also found for physical lines horizontally and vertically. In a digit flanked line bisection task (Experiment 2), the magnitude processing affected the task performance. Specifically, the congruent condition (i.e. 1-7) determined spatial biases compared to incongruent condition (i.e. 7-1) significantly in vertical and in horizontal orientation. Only in vertical condition, small number (i.e. 1-1) determined an underestimation while large number (i.e. 7-7) determined an overestimation of line length. On the whole the results seem to confirm that the spatial-numerical association along horizontal dimension is stable while its representation depends on task requirement along vertical dimension.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
