Abstract
There is a current debate on whether the cognitive system has a shared representation for all magnitudes or whether there are unique representations. To investigate this question, we used the Biber cognitive estimation task. In this task, participants were asked to provide estimates for questions such as, “How many sticks of spaghetti are in a package?” The task uses different estimation categories (e.g., time, numerical quantity, distance, and weight) to look at real-life magnitude representations. Experiment 1 assessed (N = 95) a Hebrew version of the Biber Cognitive Estimation Task and found that different estimation categories had different relations, for example, weight, time, and distance shared variance, but numerical estimation did not. We suggest that numerical estimation does not require the use of measurement in units, hence, it represents a more “pure” numerical estimation. Experiment 2 found that different factors explain individual abilities in different estimation categories. For example, numerical estimation was predicted by preverbal innate quantity understanding (approximate number sense) and working memory, whereas time estimations were supported by IQ. These results demonstrate that cognitive estimation is not a unified construct.
Highlights
There is a current debate on whether the cognitive system has a shared representation for all magnitudes or whether there are unique representations
A few processes are required to provide a reasonable estimate for a cognitive estimation question such as, “How long it will take to finish an essay?” First, you must activate your set of semantic memories; you must plan your future step (I should answer approximately two questions a day to complete the project on time); you must activate your working memory (WM) and sustain attention to complete the task (Bullard et al, 2004)
We changed the question “How many potato chips are there in a small, one ounce bag?” to a question asking about a snack that is more popular in Israel: “How many pieces of Bamba are there in a small bag?”
Summary
There is a current debate on whether the cognitive system has a shared representation for all magnitudes or whether there are unique representations. We used the Biber cognitive estimation task In this task, participants were asked to provide estimates for questions such as, “How many sticks of spaghetti are in a package?” The task uses different estimation categories (e.g., time, numerical quantity, distance, and weight) to look at real-life magnitude representations. Experiment 1 assessed (N = 95) a Hebrew version of the Biber Cognitive Estimation Task and found that different estimation categories had different relations, for example, weight, time, and distance shared variance, but numerical estimation did not. Numerical estimation was predicted by preverbal innate quantity understanding (approximate number sense) and working memory, whereas time estimations were supported by IQ These results demonstrate that cognitive estimation is not a unified construct. Ashkenazi & Tsyganov cognitive representations for different types of quantities (e.g., numerical, time, distance, and weight) and to assess evidence for a unified or distinct magnitude representation mechanism
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