Spatial–numerical associations (small numbers—left/lower space and large numbers—right/upper space) are regularly found in simple number categorization tasks. These associations were taken as evidence for a spatially oriented mental number line. However, the role of spatial–numerical associations during more complex number processing, such as counting or mental arithmetic is less clear. Here, we investigated whether counting is associated with a movement along the mental number line. Participants counted aloud upward or downward in steps of 3 for 45 s while looking at a blank screen. Gaze position during upward counting shifted rightward and upward, while the pattern for downward counting was less clear. Our results, therefore, confirm the hypothesis of a movement along the mental number line for addition. We conclude that space is not only used to represent number magnitudes but also to actively operate on numbers in more complex tasks such as counting, and that the eyes reflect this spatial mental operation.
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Counting is a spatial process: evidence from eye movements
Auteurs:
Matthias Hartmann Fred W. Mast Martin H. Fischer
Publicatiedatum
25-11-2015
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-015-0722-5
Uitgeverij
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Tijdschrift
Psychological Research
An International Journal of Perception, Attention, Memory, and Action
Uitgave 3/2016
Print ISSN: 0340-0727
Elektronisch ISSN: 1430-2772