Abstract
Several studies have shown that performance on symbolic number tasks is related to individual differences in arithmetic. However, it is not clear which process is responsible for this association, i.e. fast, automatic processing of symbols per se or access to the underlying non-symbolic representation of the symbols. To dissociate between both options, adult participants performed an audiovisual matching paradigm. Auditory presented number words needed to be matched with either Arabic digits or dot patterns. The results revealed that a distance effect was present in the dots-number word matching task and absent in the digit-number word matching task. Crucially, only performance in the digit task contributed to the variance in arithmetical abilities. This led us to conclude that adults' arithmetic builds on the ability to quickly and automatically process Arabic digits, without the underlying non-symbolic magnitude representation being activated.
Highlights
Over the last decade, studies investigating the relationship between individual differences in basic numerical abilities and mathematics achievement in both adults and children have multiplied
reaction times (RTs) smaller than 150 ms and larger than 500 ms were excluded from the analysis; this resulted in a 1.15% data loss
We wanted to distinguish between (1) the hypothesis that arithmetic achievement is related to performance on symbolic number tasks because the non-symbolic magnitude representation is accessed when people are confronted with symbols, and (2) the hypothesis that arithmetic builds on fast and automatic processing of symbols
Summary
Studies investigating the relationship between individual differences in basic numerical abilities and mathematics achievement in both adults and children have multiplied. Adult participants were presented with auditory number words that needed to be matched with either visually presented Arabic digits (i.e. pure symbolic task – see Figure 1a) or dot patterns (i.e. a mixed notation task – see Figure 1b) Their arithmetical abilities were tested with a standardized arithmetic test. We reasoned that if individual differences in arithmetic are explained by efficiently accessing the underlying non-symbolic representation when confronted with a symbol, we would observe an association between performance on the mixed notation task – in which a symbolic number word needed to be matched with to a nonsymbolic magnitude representation – and the arithmetic test score. If that relation was number-specific, no relationship between the latter pure symbolic task and arithmetical abilities should be witnessed
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