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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
Published on: January 23, 2017
Perceiving numbers causes spatial shifts of attention
Martin H Fischer1, Alan D Castel, Michael D Dodd
1Psychology Department, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN Scotland. m.h.fischer@dundee.ac.uk
Looking at numbers automatically directs your attention. Smaller numbers shift attention left, while larger numbers shift it right, revealing a link between number meaning and spatial representation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Spatial cognition
Background:
- Number symbols are ubiquitous in daily life.
- Understanding the cognitive processes underlying number perception is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether number perception influences spatial attention.
- To explore the relationship between number magnitude and attentional direction.
Main Methods:
- Participants were presented with number symbols.
- Covert attention shifts were measured.
- The influence of number magnitude on attention was analyzed.
Main Results:
- Merely looking at numbers induced a directional shift in covert attention.
- Attention shifted to the left for smaller numbers.
- Attention shifted to the right for larger numbers.
Conclusions:
- Number meaning is obligatorily activated upon visual presentation.
- A strong coupling exists between internal number representations and external spatial representations.
- This suggests that number processing inherently involves spatial dimensions.
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