Knowledge on the line: Manipulating beliefs about the magnitudes of symbolic numbers affects the linearity of line estimation tasks
Knowledge on the line: Manipulating beliefs about the magnitudes of symbolic numbers affects the linearity of line estimation tasks
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DOI：
10.3758/s13423-013-0446-8
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发表时间：
2013-12-01
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Matthews, Percival G.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Chesney, Dana L.;Matthews, Percival G.
有人认为，数字线估计任务的表现差异表明人们对数字大小的基本表征存在根本差异。然而，我们能够通过操纵他们对我们用于刺激的符号数字格式的熟悉程度，在成年人的幅度范围内诱导他们通常可以线性表现的行为。这作为一个存在的证据，个人的性能数字线估计任务并不一定反映其潜在的数值大小表示的功能形式。相反，性能差异可能是由于象征性困难（即，数字到符号映射），独立于底层函数形式。我们证明了对数函数拟合良好的数行估计不需要由对数函数产生。这些发现使我们质疑的有效性，考虑mumic-looking性能的数字线估计任务的指示幅度表示mumicically，特别是当符号的理解是有问题的。
It has been suggested that differences in performance on number-line estimation tasks are indicative of fundamental differences in people's underlying representations of numerical magnitude. However, we were able to induce logarithmic-looking performance in adults for magnitude ranges over which they can typically perform linearly by manipulating their familiarity with the symbolic number formats that we used for the stimuli. This serves as an existence proof that individuals' performances on number-line estimation tasks do not necessarily reflect the functional form of their underlying numerical magnitude representations. Rather, performance differences may result from symbolic difficulties (i.e., number-to-symbol mappings), independently of the underlying functional form. We demonstrated that number-line estimates that are well fit by logarithmic functions need not be produced by logarithmic functions. These findings led us to question the validity of considering logarithmic-looking performance on number-line estimation tasks as being indicative that magnitudes are being represented logarithmically, particularly when symbolic understanding is in question.