The Interaction between Congruency and Numerical Ratio Effects in the Nonsymbolic Comparison Test

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Neuroscience
• Psychophysics

Background:

• The Approximate Number Sense (ANS) enables processing of numerical quantities without counting or symbols.
• A key debate concerns the influence of non-numerical visual cues on ANS precision.
• Understanding this influence is crucial for refining theories of numerical cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of non-numerical visual cues on ANS precision.
• To examine how stimulus presentation format and numerical proportion affect the congruency and numerical ratio effects.

Main Methods:

• A nonsymbolic comparison task was employed.
• Stimuli were presented in separated and intermixed formats with small and large numerical proportions.
• Generalized linear mixed-effects models analyzed congruency and numerical ratio effects in 290 students.

Main Results:

• The congruency effect was larger for high numerical proportions in the separated format but not significant in the intermixed format.
• The numerical ratio effect varied based on stimulus format and trial congruency.
• Non-numerical visual cues appear more influential when numerical processing is challenging (large proportions).

Conclusions:

• Stimulus presentation format significantly modulates the influence of visual cues on ANS.
• Non-numerical visual parameters may play a critical role in numerosity processing under high cognitive load.
• Findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the ANS and its theoretical underpinnings.