Congruency effects in dot comparison tasks: convex hull is more important than dot area

The dot comparison task, in which participants select the more numerous of two dot arrays, has become the predominant method of assessing Approximate Number System (ANS) acuity. Creation of the dot arrays requires the manipulation of visual characteristics, such as dot size and convex hull. For the task to provide a valid measure of ANS acuity, participants must ignore these characteristics and respond on the basis of number. Here, we report two experiments that explore the influence of dot area and convex hull on participants’ accuracy on dot comparison tasks. We found that individuals’ ability to ignore dot area information increases with age and display time. However, the influence of convex hull information remains stable across development and with additional time. This suggests that convex hull information is more difficult to inhibit when making judgements about numerosity and therefore it is crucial to control this when creating dot comparison tasks.     

发展性计算障碍儿童的数认知

发展性计算障碍作为一种特异性学习障碍,影响儿童的数学成就与数学学习观念,因而引起了多学科研究的关注和重视。文章分析了发展性计算障碍领域在数认知方面的已有研究,揭示了发展性计算障碍的数认知缺陷及内部差异,从一般认知加工障碍与数字加工模块障碍两个角度阐述了发展性计算障碍的可能成因,最后对当前研究进行了小结与展望,认为数认知缺陷的复杂关系、亚类型特征、成因之间的相互作用与机制还需进一步研究     

Cumulative impact neglect in processing sequential changes

We demonstrate that decision contexts that involve sequential numerical changes over time can lead to suboptimal consumer choices in both incentivized and hypothetical studies. This is because, for such changes, an earlier outcome has a cumulative effect on the final total, which consumers tend to ignore. We document the prevalence of consumers' tendency to neglect this cumulative impact when processing sequential rent increases and price discounts as consumers focus on the naïve totals and trends formed by the consecutive price changes and choose economically inferior options. We propose a nudge that helps alert consumers about the cumulative effects and decrease their tendency to fall prey to this bias. We discuss the theoretical contributions as well as the implications for consumers, managers, and policymakers.     

数量加工单方向干扰时间知觉的认知与神经机制

近年来,数量加工对时间知觉的单方向干扰效应受到广泛关注,然而关于该效应的认知和神经机制的研究却缺乏深度的文献梳理和理论分析。本文从抽象数量、数字符号等认知加工如何干扰时间知觉的角度,系统总结了近期数量加工单方向影响时间知觉的研究进展;并在对相关文献加以梳理的基础上,详细分析了该效应可能的认知和神经机制,并提出若干未来研究的设想。     

数量适应后效的皮层映射特征

本研究探讨了观察者与观察目标存在相对运动时视觉系统对目标数量特征的适应后效的皮层映射特征, 并与对比度适应后效的映射规律进行比较。包括两项实验。其中, 实验一要求被试在适应目标后转换注视点, 考察眼跳后相同和不同视网膜区域以及相同和不同空间区域的适应后效, 发现数量适应后效具有部分空间-皮层映射特性, 而对比度适应后效则表现出完全的视网膜-皮层映射特征。实验二采用固定的注视点, 考察目标运动后目标原位置和新位置区域的适应后效, 发现数量适应后效不完全依赖于视网膜-皮层映射, 它可以“追随”客体运动重新映射到新的位置, 表现出基于客体映射的特征, 而对比度适应后效则完全依赖于视网膜-皮层映射, 不能“追随”客体移动在目标新位置重新形成映射。两项实验结果提示, 相对于对比度等低级表面特征而言, 数量特征对目标的描述涉及更高的加工水平, 它可以与观察目标的相对运动信息进行整合, 且这种整合在眼跳和非眼跳的观察条件下都可发生。     

The illusion of the perfect alibi: Establishing the base rate of non‐offenders' alibis

The present study was designed to establish the base rate of alibis and supportive evidence for alibis of non‐offenders. That is important because the presence and lack of an alibi are often seen as a clear indicator of innocence and guilt, respectively, of a suspect. A large sample of laypersons (N  = 841) was randomly assigned to one of 32 conditions in which they were asked to generate a true alibi after they were falsely accused of being the perpetrator of a mock robbery. Each condition consisted of either a Tuesday or a Saturday and one of 16 timeframes. In general, the majority of the participants had an alibi (99.5%) and supportive evidence for their alibis (92.4%). The supportive evidence often consisted of a combination of supportive evidence rather than one distinct form of supportive evidence (33.3%). Although it is widely assumed that the alibi believability is determined based on the strength of the supportive evidence, our results show that the type of evidence that can be presented by laypeople depends upon the day and the timeframe wherein the crime has been committed. The results of the study therefore imply that determining alibi believability solely on the strength of the supportive evidence is not a fair measure. We suggest that the believability should also be based on the base rate of alibis and its supportive evidence.     

风险寻求中的图形表征效应

在负性风险信息沟通中,采用文本表征与图形表征,结果发现图形表征方式更能引起风险回避行为。基于此,本研究以获益方案作为风险沟通信息,分别采用文本表征与图形表征来探索信息表征方式对风险寻求的影响。结果显示:在文本表征方式中,个体决策主要受备择方案之间风险大小的影响;而图形表征方式中,个体不仅受备择方案之间风险大小的影响,而且更受备择方案之间获益大小的影响。结果说明:相对文本表征,图形表征方式更能引起决策者为了获益而冒更大的风险,从而表现出风险寻求偏好,从而证实"图形效应"在风险决策中存在普遍性,为我们风险决策信息提供依据。     

The predictive value of numerical magnitude comparison for individual differences in mathematics achievement

Although it has been proposed that the ability to compare numerical magnitudes is related to mathematics achievement, it is not clear whether this ability predicts individual differences in later mathematics achievement. The current study addressed this question in typically developing children by means of a longitudinal design that examined the relationship between a number comparison task assessed at the start of formal schooling (mean age = 6 years 4 months) and a general mathematics achievement test administered 1 year later. Our findings provide longitudinal evidence that the size of the individual’s distance effect, calculated on the basis of reaction times, was predictively related to mathematics achievement. Regression analyses showed that this association was independent of age, intellectual ability, and speed of number identification.     

不同干扰刺激对成人数量估计的影响

研究采用自行设计的图形材料,考察了不同干扰刺激(纯靶刺激;干扰刺激与靶刺激数量相同;干扰刺激是靶刺激数量的2倍)对成人完成数量估计任务的影响.30名硕士生参加了本实验.行为数据和口头报告资料分析显示:1)反应时随数量估计任务难度的增加而不断增长;2)干扰刺激越多,任务越复杂,成人估计的误差率越高,准确性越低;3)成人存在多重数字表征形式,完成数量估计任务时主要采用线性表征,但随着干扰刺激物的增加,运用对数表征的趋势愈加明显.     

A mental number line in human newborns

Humans represent numbers on a mental number line with smaller numbers on the left and larger numbers on the right side. A left‐to‐right oriented spatial–numerical association, (SNA), has been demonstrated in animals and infants. However, the possibility that SNA is learnt by early exposure to caregivers’ directional biases is still open. We conducted two experiments: in Experiment 1, we tested whether SNA is present at birth and in Experiment 2, we studied whether it depends on the relative rather than the absolute magnitude of numerousness. Fifty‐five‐hour‐old newborns, once habituated to a number (12), spontaneously associated a smaller number (4) with the left and a larger number (36) with the right side (Experiment 1). SNA in neonates is not absolute but relative. The same number (12) was associated with the left side rather than the right side whenever the previously experienced number was larger (36) rather than smaller (4) (Experiment 2). Control on continuous physical variables showed that the effect is specific of discrete magnitudes. These results constitute strong evidence that in our species SNA originates from pre‐linguistic and biological precursors in the brain.