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Continuous visual properties explain neural responses to nonsymbolic number
Author(s) -
Gebuis Titia,
Reynvoet Bert
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2012.01461.x
Subject(s) - psychology , cognitive psychology , affect (linguistics) , electroencephalography , visual perception , process (computing) , sensory cue , communication , perception , computer science , neuroscience , operating system
Nonsymbolic number and its continuous visual properties are confounded in everyday life: When number changes, its continuous visual properties also change. It could therefore be efficient to rely on the visual properties to judge number. The current consensus, however, holds that number is processed independent of its visual properties. In this study, we pitched these two opposing theories against each other. We used electroencephalography to look at the components suggested to process number. The first experiment showed that number and visual cues affect the N 1 and/or the P 2 component. To disentangle number and visual processes, we controlled the visual cues in the second experiment. Now, no number‐related effects were present. When the data were reorganized according to visual cue instead of number size, N 1 and P 2 effects emerged. These results argue against the idea that number is processed independent of its continuous visual variables.