Article Version of Record

On the limits of language influences on numerical cognition – no inversion effects in three-digit number magnitude processing in adults.

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Bahnmueller, J.
Moeller, K.
Mann, A.
Nuerk, H.-C.

Other kind(s) of contributor

Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien

Abstract / Description

The inversion of number words influences numerical cognition even in seemingly non-verbal tasks, such as Arabic number comparison. However, it is an open question whether inversion of decades and units also influences number processing beyond the two-digit number range. The current study addresses this question by investigating compatibility effects in both German- (a language with inverted) and English-speaking (a language with non-inverted number words) university students (mean age 22 years) in a three-digit number comparison task.We observed reliable hundred-decade as well as hundred-unit compatibility effects for three-digit number comparison. This indicates that, comparable two-digit numbers, three-digit numbers are processed in a parallel decomposed fashion. However, in contrast to previous results on two-digit numbers as well as on children’s processing of three-digit numbers, no reliable modulation of these compatibility effects through language was observed in adults. The present data indicate that inversion-related differences in multi-digit number processing are limited. They seem to be restricted to the number range involving those digits being inverted (i.e., tens and units in two-digit numbers) but do not generalize to neighboring digits. Possible reasons for this lack of generalization are discussed.

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2015

Journal title

Frontiers in Psychology

Volume

6:1216

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01216

Citation

  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Bahnmueller, J.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Moeller, K.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Mann, A.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Nuerk, H.-C.
  • Other kind(s) of contributor
    Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2017-08-28T11:11:13Z
  • Made available on
    2017-08-28T11:11:13Z
  • Date of first publication
    2015
  • Abstract / Description
    The inversion of number words influences numerical cognition even in seemingly non-verbal tasks, such as Arabic number comparison. However, it is an open question whether inversion of decades and units also influences number processing beyond the two-digit number range. The current study addresses this question by investigating compatibility effects in both German- (a language with inverted) and English-speaking (a language with non-inverted number words) university students (mean age 22 years) in a three-digit number comparison task.We observed reliable hundred-decade as well as hundred-unit compatibility effects for three-digit number comparison. This indicates that, comparable two-digit numbers, three-digit numbers are processed in a parallel decomposed fashion. However, in contrast to previous results on two-digit numbers as well as on children’s processing of three-digit numbers, no reliable modulation of these compatibility effects through language was observed in adults. The present data indicate that inversion-related differences in multi-digit number processing are limited. They seem to be restricted to the number range involving those digits being inverted (i.e., tens and units in two-digit numbers) but do not generalize to neighboring digits. Possible reasons for this lack of generalization are discussed.
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/499
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.707
  • Is version of
    10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01216
  • Title
    On the limits of language influences on numerical cognition – no inversion effects in three-digit number magnitude processing in adults.
  • DRO type
    article
  • Leibniz institute name(s) / abbreviation(s)
    IWM
  • Leibniz subject classification
    Psychologie
  • Journal title
    Frontiers in Psychology
  • Volume
    6:1216
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record