Deconstructing spatial-numerical associations

Abstract

Spatial-numerical associations (SNAs) have been studied extensively in the past two decades, always requiring either explicit magnitude processing or explicit spatial-directional processing. This means that the typical finding of an association of small numbers with left or bottom space and of larger numbers with right or top space could be due to these requirements and not the conceptual representation of numbers. The present study compares explicit and implicit magnitude processing in an implicit spatial-directional task and identifies SNAs as artefacts of either explicit magnitude processing or explicit spatial- directional processing; they do not reveal spatial-conceptual links. This finding requires revision of current accounts of the relationship between numbers and space.

Keywords: Go/no-go task; Implicit association task; Numerical cognition; SNARC effect.