Practice-induced SNARC: evidence from a null-SNARC sample
Ezgi Palaz1, Hakan Çetinkaya2, Zeynep Tuncali3
1Department of Psychology, Izmir University of Economics, 35330, Balçova, Izmir, Turkey. ezgipalaz@hotmail.com.
Cognitive Processing
|May 13, 2024
Summary
Practicing with number-space associations can influence spatial numerical representations. Incompatible practices induced a reverse SNARC effect, suggesting experience shapes the mental number line (MNL).
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Spatial Cognition
Background:
- The Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes (SNARC) effect, where small numbers are associated with the left hand and large numbers with the right, is often linked to left-to-right reading habits.
- However, the SNARC effect's prevalence and direction can vary across cultures and may be influenced by recent experiences.
- This study investigates individuals from a left-to-right reading culture who do not typically exhibit the SNARC effect.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how mental number line (MNL)-compatible and MNL-incompatible practices influence the SNARC effect in individuals who do not naturally show it.
- To isolate the impact of recent experiences on spatial numerical representations, independent of inherent reading direction biases.
Main Methods:
- Reinvited participants from a previous study who showed no SNARC effect.
- Exposed participants to either MNL-compatible or MNL-incompatible practice tasks.
- Re-tested participants to assess changes in their SNARC effect.
Main Results:
- Participants engaging in MNL-compatible practices showed no SNARC effect.
- Participants engaging in MNL-incompatible practices exhibited a reverse SNARC effect.
- These findings indicate that recent practices can modulate spatial numerical associations.
Conclusions:
- The SNARC effect is not solely determined by reading direction but is significantly influenced by recent experiences and learned associations.
- MNL-incompatible practices can induce a reversed SNARC effect, demonstrating the malleability of the mental number line.
- Understanding practice effects is crucial for elucidating the mechanisms underlying spatial numerical cognition.
Keywords:
Mental number linePractice effectReading directionSNARC effectSpatial-numerical associationsMore Related Videos
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