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P300-Based Brain-Computer Interface Speller Performance Estimation with Classifier-Based Latency Estimation

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A phonological input buffer for numbers.

Hadar Efodi-Klerman¹, Dror Dotan¹

¹Mathematical Thinking Lab, School of Education and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior

|July 13, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Short-term memory is crucial for understanding spoken numbers. A specific phonological input buffer for numbers acts as a workbench for processing number words.

Keywords:

Number comprehension Number dictation Transcoding Working memory and numbers

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Linguistics

Background:

Numerical literacy relies on comprehending oral numbers.
The underlying cognitive mechanisms are not fully understood.
Short-term memory's role has been hypothesized but not detailed.

Observation:

Two adults with developmental short-term memory deficits were studied.
They exhibited impaired number dictation and comprehension.
Performance correlated with memory load, showing digit substitutions and syntactic errors.

Findings:

A specific short-term memory store, a phonological input buffer for numbers, is essential for verbal-phonological number input.
This buffer functions as a temporary workspace for number words before syntactic parsing.
Error analysis reveals the buffer's role in maintaining number structure.

Implications:

Proposes a detailed cognitive model for verbal-phonological number input.
Highlights the critical role of the phonological input buffer in numerical cognition.
Informs understanding of developmental disorders affecting numerical literacy.