Abstract
BackgroundEmpirical research on the relationship between linguistic and numerical processing revealed inconsistent results for different levels of cognitive processing (e.g., lexical, semantic) as well as different stimulus materials (e.g., Arabic digits, number words, letters, non-number words). Information of dissociation patterns in aphasic patients was used in order to investigate the dissociability of linguistic and numerical processes. The aim of the present prospective study was a comprehensive, specific, and systematic investigation of relationships between linguistic and numerical processing, considering the impact of asemantic vs. semantic processing and the type of material employed (numbers compared to letters vs. words).MethodsA sample of aphasic patients (n = 60) was assessed with a battery of linguistic and numerical tasks directly comparable for their cognitive processing levels (e.g., perceptual, morpho-lexical, semantic).Results and conclusionsMean performance differences and frequencies of (complementary) dissociations in individual patients revealed the most prominent numerical advantage for asemantic tasks when comparing the processing of numbers vs. letters, whereas the least numerical advantage was found for semantic tasks when comparing the processing of numbers vs. words. Different patient subgroups showing differential dissociation patterns were further analysed and discussed. A comprehensive model of linguistic and numerical processing should take these findings into account.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12993-014-0049-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
IntroductionEmpirical research on the relationship between linguistic and numerical processing revealed inconsistent results for different levels of cognitive processing (e.g., lexical, semantic) as well as different stimulus materials (e.g., Arabic digits, number words, letters, non-number words)
Empirical research on the relationship between linguistic and numerical processing revealed inconsistent results for different levels of cognitive processing as well as different stimulus materials (e.g., Arabic digits, number words, letters, non-number words)
Since neuropsychological research had reported dissociations with linguistic as well as numerical advantages, but varied in level of cognitive processing and stimulus materials, we grouped cognitive tasks according to the extent to which they required semantic processing and whether the processing of numbers was compared to letters or words
Summary
Empirical research on the relationship between linguistic and numerical processing revealed inconsistent results for different levels of cognitive processing (e.g., lexical, semantic) as well as different stimulus materials (e.g., Arabic digits, number words, letters, non-number words). The aim of the present prospective study was a comprehensive, specific, and systematic investigation of relationships between linguistic and numerical processing, considering the impact of asemantic vs semantic processing and the type of material employed (numbers compared to letters vs words). Considerations about the (in)dependence of language and numerical cognition go back to the first observations of specific calculation disorders independent of aphasia [5,6,7]. Noel and Seron [13], claimed inter-individual differences with respect to the preferred modality for numerical and calculation processes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
