Number is not just an illusion
Discrete numerosity is encoded independently from perceived size
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21641375 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrea Adriano (0000-0003-3597-3382, University of Milano-Bicocca, corresponding author), Luisa Girelli (0000-0003-2186-242X, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta), Luca Rinaldi (0000-0003-2017-6102, University of Pavia) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 123-133 |
| Publication date | 2022-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1069-9384 • E-ISSN: 1531-5320 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.3758/s13423-021-01979-w |
| PMID | 34379268 |
| OpenAlex | W3187124348 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 44 |
While seminal theories suggest that nonsymbolic visual numerosity is mainly extracted from segmented items, more recent views advocate that numerosity cannot be processed independently of nonnumeric continuous features confounded with the numerical set (i.e., such as the density, the convex hull, etc.). To disentangle these accounts, here we employed two different visual illusions presented in isolation or in a merged condition (e.g., combining the effects of the two illusions). In particular, in a number comparison task, we concurrently manipulated both the perceived object segmentation by connecting items with Kanizsa-like illusory lines, and the perceived convex-hull/density of the set by embedding the stimuli in a Ponzo illusion context, keeping constant other low-level features. In Experiment 1, the two illusions were manipulated in a compatible direction (i.e., both triggering numerical underestimation), whereas in Experiment 2 they were manipulated in an incompatible direction (i.e., with the Ponzo illusion triggering numerical overestimation and the Kanizsa illusion numerical underestimation). Results from psychometric functions showed that, in the merged condition, the biases of each illusion summated (i.e., largest underestimation as compared with the conditions in which illusions were presented in isolation) in Experiment 1, while they averaged and competed against each other in Experiment 2. These findings suggest that discrete nonsymbolic numerosity can be extracted independently from continuous magnitudes. They also point to the need of more comprehensive theoretical views accounting for the operations by which both discrete elements and continuous variables are computed and integrated by the visual system
Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Illusion · Numerical cognition · Numerosity adaptation effect · Perception · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Communication · Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques · Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2023 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |