Spatial frequency equalization does not prevent spatial–numerical associations

Bibliographic Data

ID21640918
AuthorsAndrea Adriano (0000-0003-3597-3382, University of Milano-Bicocca, corresponding author), Luca Rinaldi (0000-0003-2017-6102, University of Pavia), Luisa Girelli (0000-0003-2186-242X, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta)
Year2022
Volume29
Issue4
Pages1492-1502
Publication date2022-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychonomic Bulletin & Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1069-9384 • E-ISSN: 1531-5320
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3758/s13423-022-02060-w
PMID35132580
OpenAlexW4210583269
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited37

There is an intense debate surrounding the origin of spatial–numerical associations (SNAs), according to which small numbers are mapped onto the left side of the space and large numbers onto the right. Despite evidence suggesting that SNAs would emerge as an innate predisposition to map numerical information onto a left-to-right spatially oriented mental representation, alternative accounts have challenged these proposals, maintaining that such a mapping would be the result of a mere spatial frequency (SF) coding of any visual image. That is, any smaller or larger array of objects would naturally contain more low or high SF information and, accordingly, each hemisphere would be preferentially tuned only for one SF range (e.g., right hemisphere tuned for low SF and left hemisphere tuned for high SF). This would determine the typical SNA (e.g., faster RTs for small numerical arrays with the left hand and for large numerical arrays with the right hand). To directly probe the role of SF coding in SNAs, we tested participants in a typical dot-arrays comparison task with two numerical sets: one in which SFs were confounded with numerosity (Experiment 1) and one in which the full SF power spectrum was equalized across all stimuli, keeping this cue uninformative about numerosity (Experiment 2). We found that SNAs emerged in both experiments, independently of whether SF was confounded or not with numerosity. Taken together, these findings suggest that SNAs cannot simply originate from SF power spectrum alone , and, thus, they rule out the brain’s asymmetric SF tuning as a primary cause of such an effect

Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Lateralization of brain function · Numerical cognition · Numerosity adaptation effect · Optics · Physics · Right hemisphere · Spatial frequency · Statistics · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Communication · Computer Science · Mathematics · Neuroscience · Psychology · Spatial Neglect and Hemispheric Dysfunction · Visual perception and processing mechanisms

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