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Eye position reflects the spatial coding of numbers during magnitude comparison
Samuel Salvaggio1, Nicolas Masson1, Michael Andres1
1Psychological Sciences Research Institute.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|December 21, 2018
Summary
Number comparison involves shifting attention across a mental number line. This study used eye-tracking to show that attention shifts horizontally and vertically during number comparison, especially for numbers close to the reference.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Behavioral studies suggest number processing involves spatial attention shifts along a mental number line.
- Direct evidence for these attention shifts, their spatial axes, and timing is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of attention shifts during number comparison.
- To determine the role of horizontal and vertical axes in mental number representation.
- To explore the time course of attention shifts in relation to numerical magnitude and decision-making.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-resolution eye-tracking to record gaze patterns during a number comparison task.
- Participants compared number words (20-70) to a reference number (45) under two conditions: blank screen and viewing colorful pictures.
- Analyzed ocular drift patterns in relation to number proximity to the reference and decision outcomes.
Main Results:
- Experiment 1 showed attention shifts occurred late, after responses, suggesting an epiphenomenon.
- Experiment 2 revealed early horizontal and vertical attention shifts during number comparison.
- A leftward and downward ocular drift was observed for numbers smaller than the reference; shifts were earlier for numbers far from the reference and later for numbers close to it.
Conclusions:
- Number comparison is a dynamic cognitive process utilizing visual imagery mechanisms.
- Attention shifts along a two-dimensional spatial representation of numerical magnitude.
- The findings provide direct evidence for spatial attention shifts in number processing and their temporal dynamics.
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