The Influence Of Cue Processing On The SNARC Effect:Evidence From A Trisection Paradigm

Numerical processing is indispensable in many aspects of human society.The Spatial-Numerical Association of Response Codes(SNARC)effect(Dehaene,Bossini and Giraux,1993),i.e.right-hand responses are faster for large numbers than for small numbers and that left-hand responses are faster for small numbers than for large numbers,is a hot topic in in the numerical cognition field.Previous studies mainly explored the switching and repetition of targets on its own spatial representation,but not the influence of switching and repetition of preceding cues on targets.The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the perception of a non-numerical cue modulate the SNARC effect of a subsequent target number.More specifically,the present study follows the trial-to-trial logic to investigate the influence of switching and repetition of non-numerical cues on numerical SNARC.In experiment 1,the perpose is to verify whether there will be a SNARC effect rosed by the trisection paradigm.We used a trisection paradigm.Numbers were classified into three categories: small numbers(0,1,2),middle numbers(4,5,6),and large numbers(8,9,10).The stimuli were presented in a pseudo-random manner.Working memory load in this experiment was low.The results show that the SNARC effect of cues was not significant.There was a SNARC effect of target numbers when compared with 3 and 7.This indicated that when the working memory load is low,the spatial representation of cues was not activated,and did not influence the spatial representation of target numbers.In experiment 2,the aim is to explore whether and how the switching and repetition of cues affect the SNARC effect of numbers.Numbers were classified into three categories: small numbers(1,2),middle numbers(4,5,6),and large numbers(8,9).The task requirement was the same as experiment 1.But the stimuli were presented randomly.The working memory load of experiment 2 was greater.The results show that for non-numerical cues,there was a SNARC effect in the repetition condition,but not in the switching condition.For target numbers,there was a SNARC effect in the switching condition,but not in the repetition condition.The reason is that in the switching condition,the spatial representation of cues automatically activated the spatial representation of target numbers in the parietal areas.But in the repetition condition,the spatial representation of cues was interfered with by the spatial representation of target numbers.The present study shows that it is correct and feasible to use the trisection paradigm to investigate the SNARC effect.When the working memory load is relatively low,the processing of cues does not interfere with the spatial representation of target numbers,while when the working memory load is relatively high,the processing of cues interferes with the spatial representation of the target numbers,supporting the view that the SNARC effect is working-memory-dependent.