Abstract
A large body of evidence shows that when comparing non-symbolic numerosities, performance is influenced by irrelevant continuous magnitudes, such as total surface area, density, etc. In the current work, we ask whether the weights given to numerosity and continuous magnitudes are modulated by top-down and bottom-up factors. With that aim in mind, we asked adult participants to compare two groups of dots. To manipulate task demands, participants reported after every trial either (1) how accurate their response was (emphasizing accuracy) or (2) how fast their response was (emphasizing speed). To manipulate bottom-up factors, the stimuli were presented for 50 ms, 100 ms or 200 ms. Our results revealed (a) that the weights given to numerosity and continuous magnitude ratios were affected by the interaction of top-down and bottom-up manipulations and (b) that under some conditions, using numerosity ratio can reduce efficiency. Accordingly, we suggest that processing magnitudes is not rigid and static but a flexible and adaptive process that allows us to deal with the ever-changing demands of the environment. We also argue that there is not just one answer to the question ‘what do we process when we process magnitudes?’, and future studies should take this flexibility under consideration.
Highlights
What guides our decision in everyday non-symbolic numerosity comparisons? Imagine being at the grocery store and deciding which line to stand in so that you will have to wait the shortest time possible
In the current work, we looked deeper into the nature of the influence of continuous magnitudes on non-symbolic numerosity comparisons
We suggest that there is not just one answer to the question ‘what do we process when we process magnitudes?’ Designing studies with the notion of flexibility in mind can shed new light on the processing of magnitudes and their possible role as the building blocks of mathematics
Summary
What guides our decision in everyday non-symbolic numerosity comparisons? Imagine being at the grocery store and deciding which line to stand in so that you will have to wait the shortest time possible. In contrast to the traditional view that such comparisons will be influenced only (or mostly) by the number of items we see (e.g., Cantlon, Platt, & Brannon, 2009; Dehaene & Changeux, 1993; Feigenson, Dehaene, & Spelke, 2004), recent studies suggested that in these cases, both number and continuous magnitudes are taken into account In our example, it is the number of people waiting in line or the number of items in their shopping cart that you would factor into your decision, and continuous magnitudes, like the length of the line created by the line of people, or the total surface area and the density of the items in each shopping cart (Gebuis & Reynvoet, 2012a; Leibovich & Henik, 2013; Leibovich, Henik, & Salti, 2015; Leibovich, Vogel, Henik, & Ansari, 2015; Mix, Huttenlocher, & Levine, 2002). The ratio between the number of dots in each array, as well
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