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Are approximate number system representations numerical?
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Pickering, J., Adelman, James S. and Inglis, M. (2023) Are approximate number system representations numerical? Journal of Numerical Cognition, 9 (1). pp. 129-144. doi:10.5964/jnc.8553 ISSN 2363-8761.
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.8553
Abstract
Previous research suggests that the Approximate Number System (ANS) allows people to approximate the cardinality of a set. This ability to discern numerical quantities may explain how meaning becomes associated with number symbols. However, recently it has been argued that ANS representations are not directly numerical, but rather are formed by amalgamating perceptual features confounded with the set’s cardinality. In this paper, we approach the question of whether ANS representations are numerical by studying the properties they have, rather than how they are formed. Across two pre-registered within-subjects studies, we measured 189 participants’ ability to multiply the numbers between 2 and 8. Participants completed symbolic and nonsymbolic versions of the task. Results showed that participants succeeded at above-chance levels when multiplying nonsymbolic representations within the subitizing range (2-4) but were at chance levels when multiplying numbers within the ANS range (5-8). We conclude that, unlike Object Tracking System (OTS) representations, two ANS representations cannot be multiplied together. We suggest that investigating which numerical properties ANS representations possess may advance the debate over whether the ANS is a genuinely numerical system.
Item Type: | Journal Article | |||||||||
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Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology Q Science > QA Mathematics |
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Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Psychology | |||||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Psychology -- Mathematical models, Human behavior -- Mathematical models, Numbers, Real, Multiplication | |||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Journal of Numerical Cognition | |||||||||
Publisher: | PsychOpen | |||||||||
ISSN: | 2363-8761 | |||||||||
Official Date: | 31 March 2023 | |||||||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | 9 | |||||||||
Number: | 1 | |||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 129-144 | |||||||||
DOI: | 10.5964/jnc.8553 | |||||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | |||||||||
Publication Status: | Published | |||||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | |||||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 4 January 2023 | |||||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 28 July 2023 | |||||||||
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
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