Influences of cognitive control on number processing: New evidence from switching between two numerical tasks

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Numerical Cognition

Background:

• Previous research indicates cognitive control influences basic numerical abilities like magnitude and parity processing.
• Evidence primarily stems from adaptations to stimulus sets and switches between numerical and non-numerical tasks.
• The role of cognitive control in purely numerical task switching remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how cognitive control processes influence number processing within a task-switching paradigm using only numerical tasks.
• To examine the modulation of the numerical distance effect and the spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC) effect during cognitive control exertion.

Main Methods:

• Employed a task-switching paradigm involving only numerical tasks: magnitude comparisons and parity judgments.
• Participants responded to single-digit numbers based on a preceding cue, switching between judging parity or magnitude relative to a standard of 5.
• Analyzed the numerical distance effect and SNARC effect in switch versus non-switch trials.

Main Results:

• The numerical distance effect was significantly reduced in switch trials, indicating cognitive control modulated magnitude processing.
• No significant modulation of the SNARC effect was observed in switch trials, suggesting spatial-numerical associations were less affected.
• Results suggest cognitive control's influence on number processing is task-dependent and varies with the type of numerical information processed.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive control influences number processing, but its effect differs based on task demands and the specific numerical information being processed.
• The findings support an information prioritisation account, where cognitive control preferentially affects the processing of information requiring more explicit attention.
• Future research should explore the neural mechanisms underlying this task-dependent modulation of numerical cognition by cognitive control.