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Related Concept Videos

Real Number Operations01:27

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The concept of real numbers includes all the values that can be represented on a continuous number line. The system began with basic counting values used for enumeration. It later expanded to include values that represent the absence of quantity and opposites of the counting values. When situations required expressing parts of a whole or dividing quantities evenly, values capable of representing such proportions were developed. When written using decimal notation, these values can end or repeat...
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Related Experiment Video

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Generating Strictly Controlled Stimuli for Figure Recognition Experiments
05:39

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Published on: March 18, 2019

Numerical representations are neither abstract nor automatic.

Dale J Cohen1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA. cohend@uncw.edu

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|August 29, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Numerical representations are not abstract, challenging previous assumptions. Research suggests that numerals do not automatically trigger their semantic meaning due to untested alternative hypotheses.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Number Representation

Background:

  • The abstract nature of numerical representations is a long-standing debate in cognitive science.
  • Previous research often assumes numerals automatically activate semantic meaning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To support and extend the argument that numerical representations are non-abstract.
  • To critique methodologies that lead to conclusions about automatic semantic activation.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing data on number representation between zero and one.
  • Conceptual analysis of hypothesis testing in numerical cognition research.

Main Results:

  • Evidence supports the non-abstract nature of representing numbers between zero and one.
  • Failure to test alternative hypotheses can lead to incorrect conclusions about numeral processing.

Conclusions:

  • Numerical representations, particularly for numbers between zero and one, are grounded in non-abstract systems.
  • Future research should rigorously test alternative hypotheses to avoid overstating findings on numeral-semantic links.