Effects of attentional shifts along the vertical axis on number processing: An eye-tracking study with optokinetic stimulation

Felisatti, Arianna; Ranzini, Mariagrazia; Blini, Elvio; Lisi, Matteo; Zorzi, Mattia

doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104991

Cited by 5 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 104 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In a similar vein, Ranzini et al [53] observed that presenting graspable objects, as compared to ungraspable ones, enhanced the sensitivity to numerical magnitude during a subsequent number task (Experiment 1), but it reduced number magnitude sensitivity when participants were additionally required to hold an object in their hands (Experiment 2). Taken together, these bidirectional links suggest a functional relation between motor action and numerical processing, in agreement with embodied and grounded cognition accounts (see also: [54][55][56]).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…The encoding of the response was followed by a 1000ms delay before the beginning of the next trial. Verbal responses were acquired with a microphone connected to a voice key; to prevent measurement errors due to its sensitivity, participants were trained to answer BA/BE for small/large digits (for similar procedures, see: [53][54][55][56]75]). Response mapping was counterbalanced between participants.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Influences of hand action on the processing of symbolic numbers: A special role of pointing?

Ranzini

Semenza²,

Zorzi³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Embodied and grounded cognition theories state that cognitive processing is built upon sensorimotor systems. In the context of numerical cognition, support to this framework comes from the interactions between numerical processing and the hand actions of reaching and grasping documented in skilled adults. Accordingly, mechanisms for the processing of object size and location during reach and grasp actions might scaffold the development of mental representations of numerical magnitude. The present study exploited motor adaptation to test the hypothesis of a functional overlap between neurocognitive mechanisms of hand action and numerical processing. Participants performed repetitive grasping of an object, repetitive pointing, repetitive tapping, or passive viewing. Subsequently, they performed a symbolic number comparison task. Importantly, hand action and number comparison were functionally and temporally dissociated, thereby minimizing context-based effects. Results showed that executing the action of pointing slowed down the responses in number comparison. Moreover, the typical distance effect (faster responses for numbers far from the reference as compared to close ones) was not observed for small numbers after pointing, while it was enhanced by grasping. These findings confirm the functional link between hand action and numerical processing, and suggest new hypotheses on the role of pointing as a meaningful gesture in the development and embodiment of numerical skills.

show abstract

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of hand action on the processing of symbolic numbers: A special role of pointing?

Ranzini

Semenza²,

Zorzi³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Recent research evidence has indicated that native language (L1) processing is more than a purely symbolic process ( Kintsch, 1988 ; Glenverg and Kaschak, 2002 ; Felisatti et al, 2022 ), in which the sensorimotor system is also activated ( Barsalou, 1999 ). For example, in studies investigating the embodied effect in sentence comprehension ( Zwaan et al, 2002 ), researchers found that participants responded significantly faster to pictures consistent with the implied sentential content.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Involvement of the sensorimotor system in less advanced L2 processing: Evidence from a semantic category decision task

Bai

2022

Front. Psychol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is increasing evidence indicating that the sensorimotor system is involved in advanced L2 processing, which raises the question of what role sensorimotor information plays in the course of less advanced L2 comprehension. In the current study, two experiments were conducted using a lexical decision task (LDT) and semantic category task (SCT). The results showed that, in the LDT, a task more likely to result in participants making judgments based on the physical properties of words (e.g., familiarity, orthography), “up” words (e.g., sun, plane) did not result in faster upward than downward responses, and “down” words (e.g., tunnel, cave) also did not result in faster downward than upward responses. In the SCT, compatibility effects were found; specifically, searching for the up target after “up” words was faster than after “down” words and searching for the bottom target after “down” words was faster than after “upward-pointing” words. Hence, we concluded that L2 sensorimotor association, at least for L2 with low proficiency, not automatic in nature and is dependent upon deeper semantic task demands.

show abstract

“…Alternative methods capture a participant’s saccadic response during a task designed to elicit directional SNAs. There is a rich variety of visual spatial tasks that can be used examine directional SNAs, either with explicit or implicit number comparisons [ 25 ], and while many have been used to examine the horizontal dimension, far less has been done with the vertical [ 25 ], and nearly nothing in the determining of the dominance of one dimension. We found only one study that could be used to consider dominance; Hesse and Bremmer [ 16 ] captured saccadic response during a parity type task, an interesting approach that may circumvent the issues arising from handedness [ 26 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertical versus horizontal Spatial-Numerical Associations (SNA): A processing advantage for the vertical dimension

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Humans have associations between numbers and physical space on both horizontal and vertical dimensions, called Spatial-Numerical Associations (SNAs). Several studies have considered the hypothesis of there being a dominant orientation by examining on which dimension people are more accurate and efficient at responding during various directional SNA tasks. However, these studies have difficulty differentiating between a person’s efficiency at accessing mental representations of numbers in space, and the efficiency at which they exercise motor control functions, particularly bilateral ones, when manifesting a response during an explicit directional SNA task. In this study we use a conflict test employing combined explicit magnitude and spatial directional processing in which pairs of numbers are placed along the diagonal axes and response accuracy/efficiency are considered across the horizontal and vertical dimensions simultaneously. Participants indicated which number in each pair was largest using a joystick that only required unilateral input. The experiment was run in English using Arabic numerals. Results showed that directional SNAs have a vertical rather than horizontal dominance. A moderating factor was also found during post-hoc analysis, where response efficiency, but not accuracy, is conditional on a person’s native language being oriented the same as the language of the experiment, left to right. The dominance of the vertical orientation suggests adopting more vertical display formats for numbers may provide situational advantages, particularly for explicit magnitude comparisons, with some domains like flight controls and the stock market already using these in some cases.

show abstract

Effects of attentional shifts along the vertical axis on number processing: An eye-tracking study with optokinetic stimulation

Cited by 5 publications

References 104 publications

Influences of hand action on the processing of symbolic numbers: A special role of pointing?

Influences of hand action on the processing of symbolic numbers: A special role of pointing?

Involvement of the sensorimotor system in less advanced L2 processing: Evidence from a semantic category decision task

Vertical versus horizontal Spatial-Numerical Associations (SNA): A processing advantage for the vertical dimension

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About