Skip to main content

Decade breaks in the mental number line? Putting tens and units back into different bins

Nuerk, Hans-Christoph, Weger, Ulrich W., Willmes, K. (2001) Decade breaks in the mental number line? Putting tens and units back into different bins. Cognition, 82 (1). B25-B33. ISSN 0010-0277. (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:4401)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.

Abstract

Most models of number recognition agree that among other number representations there is a central semantic magnitude representation which may be conceptualized as a logarithmically compressed mental number line. Whether or not this number line is decomposed into different representations for tens and units is, however, controversial. We investigated this issue in German participants in a magnitude comparison (selection) task in which the larger of two visually presented Arabic two-digit numbers had to be selected. Most importantly, we varied unit-decade-compatibility: a number pair was defined as compatible if the decade magnitude comparison and the unit magnitude comparison of the two numbers would lead to the same response (e.g. 52 and 67) and as incompatible if this was not the case (e.g. 47 and 62). While controlling for overall numerical distance, size and other variables, we consistently found compatibility effects. A control experiment showed that this compatibility effect was not due to perceptual presentation characteristics. We conclude that the idea of one single number line representation that does not additionally assume different magnitude representations for tens and units is not sufficient to account for the data. Finally, we discuss why decade effects were not found in other experimental settings.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled keywords: mental number line
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User: C.A. Simms
Date Deposited: 29 Aug 2008 17:42 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 09:42 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/4401 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Weger, Ulrich W..

Creator's ORCID:
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.