Abstract
The size congruity effect involves interference between numerical magnitude and physical size of visually presented numbers: congruent numbers (either both small or both large in numerical magnitude and physical size) are responded to faster than incongruent ones (small numerical magnitude/large physical size or vice versa). Besides, numerical magnitude is associated with lateralized response codes, leading to the Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes (SNARC) effect: small numerical magnitudes are preferably responded to on the left side and large ones on the right side. Whereas size congruity effects are ascribed to interference between stimulus dimensions in the decision stage, SNARC effects are understood as (in)compatibilities in stimulus-response combinations. Accordingly, size congruity and SNARC effects were previously found to be independent in parity and in physical size judgment tasks. We investigated their dependency in numerical magnitude judgment tasks. We obtained independent size congruity and SNARC effects in these tasks and replicated this observation for the parity judgment task. The results confirm and extend the notion that size congruity and SNARC effects operate in different representational spaces. We discuss possible implications for number representation.
Highlights
Which is larger: the number of stars in the galaxy or the number printed on LA Galaxy star’s team shirts? This question might lead to some confusion because of the conflated ways in which the numbers could be considered large or small, i.e., printed size and numerical magnitude
Size congruity experiments invariably show that it is easier to respond to a small numerical magnitude printed in small physical size or a large numerical magnitude printed in large physical size, i.e., a congruent stimulus, as compared to an incongruent one
We argue that if no further interactions occur, this would accord to the notion that Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes (SNARC) and Size Association of Response Codes (SSARC) effects do not interact with size congruity
Summary
This question might lead to some confusion because of the conflated ways in which the numbers could be considered large or small, i.e., printed size and numerical magnitude This kind of incidental conflation has a counterpart in the well-known size congruity effect in speeded choice reaction times (RTs) experiments (Paivio, 1975; Banks and Flora, 1977; Besner and Coltheart, 1979; Henik and Tzelgov, 1982;; Schwarz and Heinze, 1998; Schwarz and Ischebeck, 2003). This result suggests that both stimulus dimensions are activated by the stimuli irrespective of their relevance, leading to interference akin to the Stroop effect (Stroop, 1935)
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