Congruency and distance effects vary across simultaneous and sequential two-digit integer, fraction, and decimal 2AFC...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Numerical Cognition
• Human Information Processing

Background:

• Two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) tasks are common for studying human information processing.
• The influence of task presentation format (simultaneous vs. sequential) on cognitive strategies in 2AFC tasks is not fully understood.
• Understanding these differences is crucial for accurate interpretation of cognitive research findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether simultaneous and sequential 2AFC tasks yield comparable insights into cognitive processing strategies.
• To examine how numerical distance and congruency effects, indicators of number processing, differ between simultaneous and sequential 2AFC task formats.
• To determine if task format influences the engagement of distinct cognitive processes during number comparison.

Main Methods:

• 162 undergraduate students completed simultaneous and sequential 2AFC tasks involving two-digit integers, fractions, and decimals.
• Stimuli varied in numerical distance (near vs. far) and congruency (congruent vs. incongruent).
• Linear mixed models were used to analyze distance and congruency effects across task formats and number types.

Main Results:

• Both distance and congruency effects were observed across all number types and task formats.
• The congruency effect was more pronounced in simultaneous tasks with near-distance pairs.
• The congruency effect was weaker in sequential tasks with far-distance pairs.
• Significant differences in the magnitude of distance and congruency effects were found between simultaneous and sequential task formats.

Conclusions:

• Simultaneous and sequential 2AFC task formats differentially influence cognitive strategies in number processing.
• The observed variations in distance and congruency effects indicate that task format critically shapes information processing.
• Simultaneous and sequential 2AFC tasks engage distinct cognitive processes and should not be used interchangeably in cognitive research.