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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 16, 2026

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments

Published on: March 1, 2022

Multisensory decisions provide support for probabilistic number representations.

Ingmar Kanitscheider¹, Amanda Brown², Alexandre Pouget³

¹Department of Basic Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Center for Learning and Memory and Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.

Journal of Neurophysiology

|March 7, 2015

Summary

Humans use approximate number sense to estimate quantities. This study shows the brain uses probabilistic representations, combining sensory information based on reliability for numerosity decisions.

Keywords:

Bayesian decision making multisensory numerosity vision

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A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons

A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons

Published on: November 9, 2018

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychology

Background:

Humans possess an approximate number sense for estimating numerosity.
The brain's representation of approximate numbers (scalar estimates vs. probability distributions) remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether approximate numbers are represented as scalar estimates or probability distributions.
To differentiate between these two models using a multisensory decision task.

Main Methods:

Human subjects performed a numerosity decision task with visual, auditory, or both sensory inputs.
Stimulus reliability was manipulated by adding noise to visual stimuli.
Trial-by-trial choices were analyzed to assess cue integration strategies.

Main Results:

Multisensory trials showed significant improvements over unisensory trials.
Subjects strategically leveraged auditory and visual information based on cue reliability.
A probabilistic model accurately predicted choices, outperforming a nonprobabilistic model.

Conclusions:

The brain employs a probabilistic representation for making numerosity decisions.
Cue reliability is a critical factor in how the brain integrates multisensory information for number estimation.