A working memory account of the interaction between numbers and spatial attention

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Human Memory

Background:

• The spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC) effect, typically linked to a mental number line, has been questioned.
• An alternative view suggests number-space associations are temporary and constructed in working memory.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of working memory in the attentional SNARC effect.
• To determine if the SNARC effect depends on the serial organization of information in working memory.

Main Methods:

• Three experiments were conducted using a speeded dot detection task with central cues.
• Participants maintained digits or letters in working memory before dot presentation.
• The attentional SNARC effect was measured based on dot location and cue type/order.

Main Results:

• The attentional SNARC effect was absent when only the last number cue was held in working memory.
• The effect was observed when multiple numbers or letters were stored in a serially organized manner.
• The strength of the effect correlated with the serial position within working memory.

Conclusions:

• The attentional SNARC effect is strongly dependent on working memory processes.
• Serial organization within working memory is crucial for observing the attentional SNARC effect.
• Findings challenge long-term memory accounts of number-space representations.