The Involvement of the Inferior Parietal Cortex in the Numerical Stroop Effect and the Distance Effect in a Two-digit Number Comparison Task

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 1518-1530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xun Liu ◽  
Hongbin Wang ◽  
Christine R. Corbly ◽  
Jiajie Zhang ◽  
Jane E. Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Distance Effect ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Number Representation ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Number Comparison ◽  
Inferior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Unit Digit ◽  
The Brain

The neural mechanism of number representation and processing is currently under extensive investigation. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we designed a number comparison task to examine how people represent and compare two-digit numbers in the brain, and whether they process the decade and unit digits in parallel. We manipulated the decade-unit-digit congruency and numerical distance between the pairs of numbers. We observed both Stroop-like interference and the distance effect in the participants' performance. People responded more slowly to incongruent pairs of numbers and pairs of a smaller distance. The inferior parietal cortex showed common and distinct patterns of activation for both attentional selection and number comparison processes, and its activity was modulated by the Stroop-like interference effect and the distance effect. Taken together, these results support both parallel and holistic comparison of two-digit numbers in the brain.

scholarly journals No Evidence for an Influence of Grammatical Number in Two-Digit Magnitude and Place-Value Processing in Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Huber ◽  
Mojtaba Soltanlou ◽  
Krzysztof Cipora ◽  
Katarzyna Lipowska ◽  
Frank Domahs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distance Effect ◽  
Snarc Effect ◽  
Place Value ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Digit Number ◽  
Response Level ◽  
Response Side ◽  
Plural Form ◽  
Number Comparison ◽  
Grammatical Number

Numerous studies revealed effects of some linguistic properties like inversion or reading/writing direction on number processing. However, it remains more controversial, whether influences at a syntactic level, such as singular vs. plural form associated with certain numbers, can also influence magnitude and place-value processing and vice versa. In this study, we investigated for the first time in a classical two-digit number comparison task whether grammatical number also affects magnitude and place-value processing (and vice versa). To do so, we used a peculiarity of the Polish language, where the inflection of a verb depends on the unit digit of a number (singular for 25-29, 35-39, etc. and plural for 22-24, 32-34, etc.). This systematic pattern allows the manipulation of congruency between grammatical number and magnitude information, both on an item and a response level (i.e., the grammatical number is either compatible or incompatible to the magnitude information or the response side). We observed no significant interference effects, neither between grammatical number (i.e., associated singular/ plural inflection of the number) and magnitude information, nor between grammatical number and the response side. Model comparisons revealed that models without grammatical number, could explain our data best. Hence, grammatical number did not contribute to the explanation of the data beyond unit-decade compatibility, distance effect and SNARC effect and, thus, seems to be negligible in two-digit number comparison. Task characteristics, which might contribute to this finding are discussed.

Caudal inferior parietal cortex supports the hypothesis about a modulating cortical area

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Tabassi Mofrad ◽  
Niels O. Schiller
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Cortical Area ◽  
Control Area ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Inferior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Connectivity Patterns ◽  
The Brain

The cytoarchitectonically tripartite organization of the inferior parietal cortex (IPC) into the rostral, the middle and the caudal clusters has been generally ignored when associating different functions to this part of the cortex, resulting in inconsistencies about how IPC is understood. In this study, we investigated the patterns of functional connectivity of the caudal IPC in a task requiring cognitive control of language, using multiband EPI. This part of the cortex demonstrated functional connectivity patterns dissimilar to a cognitive control area and at the same time the caudal IPC showed negative functional associations with both task-related brain areas and the precuneus cortex, which is active during resting state. We found evidence suggesting that the traditional categorization of different brain areas into either task-related or resting state-related networks cannot accommodate the functions of the caudal IPC. This underlies the hypothesis about a modulating cortical area proposing that its involvement in task performance, in a modulating manner, is marked by deactivation in the patterns of functional associations with parts of the brain that are recognized to be involved in doing a task, proportionate to task difficulty; however, their patterns of functional connectivity in some other respects do not correspond to the resting state-related parts of the cortex.

Choice Effect Suppressed Distance Effect in number comparison task in brain activity

2009 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. S238
Author(s):  
Yousuke Ogata ◽  
Takahiro Horaguchi ◽  
Noriya Watanabe ◽  
Takeshi Aikawa ◽  
Miyuki Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Distance Effect ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Number Comparison

scholarly journals Empirical and Theoretical Studies on Number Comparison: Design Parameters and Research Questions

Scientifica ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meltem Ballan
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Distance Effect ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Number Representation ◽  
Sensory Representation ◽  
Number Comparison ◽  
Universal Approach ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Size Congruity Effect

For well over one-hundred years, several key factors have been well established in the study of number comparison, including mental number line, numerical distance effect, and effect of sensory representation on number processing. The purpose of this article is to put some of these studies together to discuss design parameters and research questions addressed in the mental number comparison studies. Most of the studies discuss sensory representation and abstract number representation as well as degree of their interaction. In order to give the different views on a particular research question, the author classified studies under the related research questions. For example, Stroop and size congruity effect studies are addressed under this title chronologically. It was very clear that the design parameters and research question might change the interpretation of a task. It may be time to shift attention from the question of the interaction degree of sensory representation and abstract representation to a larger scope. The larger scope would be to understand the differences and similarities between different groups using a universal approach.

scholarly journals Comparison of the Choice Effect and the Distance Effect in a Number-Comparison Task by fMRI

PLoS ONE ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. e21716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousuke Ogata ◽  
Takahiro Horaguchi ◽  
Noriya Watanabe ◽  
Miyuki Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Distance Effect ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Number Comparison

scholarly journals Influences of hand action on the processing of symbolic numbers: a special role of pointing?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariagrazia Ranzini ◽  
Carlo Semenza ◽  
Marco Zorzi ◽  
Simone Cutini
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Cognition ◽  
Distance Effect ◽  
Number Processing ◽  
Grounded Cognition ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Functional Link ◽  
Number Comparison ◽  
Hand Action

Embodied and grounded cognition theories suggest that cognitive processes are built upon sensorimotor systems. In the context of studies on numerical cognition, interactions between number processing and the hand actions of reaching and grasping have been documented in skilled adults, thereby supporting embodied and grounded cognition accounts. The present study made use of the neurophysiological principle of neural adaptation applied to repetitive hand actions to test the hypothesis of a functional overlap between neurocognitive mechanisms of hand action and number processing. Participants performed repetitive grasping of an object, repetitive pointing, repetitive tapping, or passive viewing. Subsequently, they performed a symbolic number comparison task. Importantly, hand action and number comparison were functionally and temporally dissociated, thereby minimizing context-based effects. Results showed that executing the action of pointing slowed down the responses in number comparison. Moreover, the typical distance effect (faster responses for numbers far from the reference as compared to close ones) was not observed for small numbers after pointing, while it was enhanced by grasping. These findings confirm the functional link between hand action and number processing, and suggest new hypotheses on the role of pointing as a meaningful gesture in the development and embodiment of numerical skills.

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