Are Approximate Number System Representations Numerical?
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 no...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Insitute for Psychology
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Numerical Cognition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jnc.psychopen.eu/index.php/jnc/article/view/8553 |
| _version_ | 1797685997833551872 |
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| author | Jayne Pickering James S. Adelman Matthew Inglis |
| author_facet | Jayne Pickering James S. Adelman Matthew Inglis |
| author_sort | Jayne Pickering |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:59:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9334cab24aa949d7a09513035732f7c3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2363-8761 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:59:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Insitute for Psychology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Numerical Cognition |
| spelling | doaj.art-9334cab24aa949d7a09513035732f7c32023-09-14T09:33:11ZengPsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Insitute for PsychologyJournal of Numerical Cognition2363-87612023-03-019112914410.5964/jnc.8553jnc.8553Are Approximate Number System Representations Numerical?Jayne Pickering0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1105-7013James S. Adelman1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2659-4228Matthew Inglis2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7617-4689Centre for Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United KingdomDepartment of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United KingdomCentre for Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United KingdomPrevious 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.https://jnc.psychopen.eu/index.php/jnc/article/view/8553approximate number systemmultiplicationnumerical cognitionnonsymbolic arithmetic |
| spellingShingle | Jayne Pickering James S. Adelman Matthew Inglis Are Approximate Number System Representations Numerical? Journal of Numerical Cognition approximate number system multiplication numerical cognition nonsymbolic arithmetic |
| title | Are Approximate Number System Representations Numerical? |
| title_full | Are Approximate Number System Representations Numerical? |
| title_fullStr | Are Approximate Number System Representations Numerical? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are Approximate Number System Representations Numerical? |
| title_short | Are Approximate Number System Representations Numerical? |
| title_sort | are approximate number system representations numerical |
| topic | approximate number system multiplication numerical cognition nonsymbolic arithmetic |
| url | https://jnc.psychopen.eu/index.php/jnc/article/view/8553 |
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