EXPRESS: Processing symbolic magnitude information conveyed by number words and by scalar adjectives

Humans not only process and compare magnitude information such as size, duration, and number perceptually, but they also communicate about these properties using language. In this respect, a relevant class of lexical items are so-called scalar adjectives like ‘big’, ‘long’, ‘loud’, etc. which refer to magnitude information. It has been proposed that humans use an amodal and abstract representation format shared by different dimensions, called the generalized magnitude system (GMS). In this paper, we test the hypothesis that scalar adjectives are symbolic references to GMS representations, and, therefore, GMS gets involved in processing their meaning. Previously, a parallel hypothesis on the relation between number symbols and GMS representations has been tested with the size congruity paradigm. The results of these experiments showed interference between the processing of number symbols and the processing of physical (font-) size. In the first three experiments of the present study (total N=150), we used the size congruity paradigm and the same/different task to look at the potential interaction between physical size magnitude and numerical magnitude expressed by number words. In the subsequent three experiments (total N=149), we looked at a parallel potential interaction between physical size magnitude and scalar adjective meaning. In the size congruity paradigm we observed interference between the processing of the numerical value of number words and the meaning of scalar adjectives, on the one hand, and physical (font-) size, on the other had, when participants had to judge the number words or the adjectives (while ignoring physical size). No interference was obtained for the reverse situation, i.e. when participants judged the physical font size (while ignoring numerical value or meaning). The results of the same/different task for both number words and scalar adjectives strongly suggested that the interference that was observed in the size congruity paradigm was likely due to a response conflict at the decision stage of processing rather than due to the recruitment of GMS representations. Taken together, it can be concluded that the size congruity paradigm does not provide evidence in support the hypothesis that GMS representations are used in the processing of number words or scalar adjectives. Nonetheless, the hypothesis we put forward about scalar adjectives is still is a promising potential line of research. We make a number of suggestions for how this hypothesis can be explored in future studies.

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The Flip Side of the Auditory Spatial Selection Benefit

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027/1618-3169/a000274 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 62 (1) ◽

pp. 66-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Iring Koch ◽

Vera Lawo

Keyword(s):

Task Switching ◽

Auditory Task ◽

Numerical Magnitude ◽

Attention Shifting ◽

Gender Selection ◽

Spatial Selection ◽

Number Words ◽

Switch Costs ◽

Mixing Costs ◽

Experimental Group

In cued auditory task switching, one of two dichotically presented number words, spoken by a female and a male, had to be judged according to its numerical magnitude. One experimental group selected targets by speaker gender and another group by ear of presentation. In mixed-task blocks, the target-defining feature (male/female vs. left/right) was cued prior to each trial, but in pure blocks it remained constant. Compared to selection by gender, selection by ear led to better performance in pure blocks than in mixed blocks, resulting in larger “global” mixing costs for ear-based selection. Selection by ear also led to larger “local” switch costs in mixed blocks, but this finding was partially mediated by differential cue-repetition benefits. Together, the data suggest that requirements of attention shifting diminish the auditory spatial selection benefit.

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Intentional attention switching in dichotic listening: Exploring the efficiency of nonspatial and spatial selection

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1080/17470218.2014.898079 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 67 (10) ◽

pp. 2010-2024 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Vera Lawo ◽

Janina Fels ◽

Josefa Oberem ◽

Iring Koch

Keyword(s):

Dichotic Listening ◽

Target Selection ◽

Stimulus Onset ◽

Numerical Magnitude ◽

Relevant Feature ◽

Attention Switching ◽

Number Words ◽

Switch Costs ◽

Feature Dimension ◽

Listening Task

Using an auditory variant of task switching, we examined the ability to intentionally switch attention in a dichotic-listening task. In our study, participants responded selectively to one of two simultaneously presented auditory number words (spoken by a female and a male, one for each ear) by categorizing its numerical magnitude. The mapping of gender (female vs. male) and ear (left vs. right) was unpredictable. The to-be-attended feature for gender or ear, respectively, was indicated by a visual selection cue prior to auditory stimulus onset. In Experiment 1, explicitly cued switches of the relevant feature dimension (e.g., from gender to ear) and switches of the relevant feature within a dimension (e.g., from male to female) occurred in an unpredictable manner. We found large performance costs when the relevant feature switched, but switches of the relevant feature dimension incurred only small additional costs. The feature-switch costs were larger in ear-relevant than in gender-relevant trials. In Experiment 2, we replicated these findings using a simplified design (i.e., only within-dimension switches with blocked dimensions). In Experiment 3, we examined preparation effects by manipulating the cueing interval and found a preparation benefit only when ear was cued. Together, our data suggest that the large part of attentional switch costs arises from reconfiguration at the level of relevant auditory features (e.g., left vs. right) rather than feature dimensions (ear vs. gender). Additionally, our findings suggest that ear-based target selection benefits more from preparation time (i.e., time to direct attention to one ear) than gender-based target selection.

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Evaluación experimental de programas para el desarrollo emocional en docentes de Educación Secundaria

Anales de Psicología ◽

10.6018/analesps.34.1.273451 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 68 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Patricia Torrijos Fincias ◽

Eva María Torrecilla Sánchez ◽

María José Rodríguez Conde

Keyword(s):

Conflict Management ◽

Predictive Factor ◽

Classroom Practices ◽

Educational Experiences ◽

Font Size ◽

Post Test ◽

Experimental Type ◽

Empowering Teachers ◽

Different Dimensions ◽

Training Programmes

Emotional intelligence is a predictive factor of wellbeing among teachers. The discussion therefore focuses on the pertinence of, and need for, developing competences in Secondary Education teachers. This involves the design, implementation and evaluation of two training programmes linked to conflict management and the promotion of emotional competences. The efficacy of the training programmes is studied through the adoption of a pre-experimental type research design with pre/post-test measures. The results obtained following the application of both these programmes show statistically significant changes (p < .05) in the different dimensions of competence. It is therefore concluded that there is empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that emotional competence is enhanced by appropriate educational experiences, empowering teachers to face the challenges of their classroom practices.

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Online pragmatic interpretations of scalar adjectives are affected by perceived speaker reliability

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0245130 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. e0245130

Author(s):

Bethany Gardner ◽

Sadie Dix ◽

Rebecca Lawrence ◽

Cameron Morgan ◽

Anaclare Sullivan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Eye Tracking ◽

Real Time ◽

Language Comprehension ◽

Time Window ◽

Spoken Language ◽

Sentence Structure ◽

Linguistic Communication ◽

Expected Time ◽

Scalar Adjective ◽

Scalar Adjectives

Linguistic communication requires understanding of words in relation to their context. Among various aspects of context, one that has received relatively little attention until recently is the speakers themselves. We asked whether comprehenders’ online language comprehension is affected by the perceived reliability with which a speaker formulates pragmatically well-formed utterances. In two eye-tracking experiments, we conceptually replicated and extended a seminal work by Grodner and Sedivy (2011). A between-participant manipulation was used to control reliability with which a speaker follows implicit pragmatic conventions (e.g., using a scalar adjective in accordance with contextual contrast). Experiment 1 replicated Grodner and Sedivy’s finding that contrastive inference in response to scalar adjectives was suspended when both the spoken input and the instructions provided evidence of the speaker’s (un)reliability: For speech from the reliable speaker, comprehenders exhibited the early fixations attributable to a contextually-situated, contrastive interpretation of a scalar adjective. In contrast, for speech from the unreliable speaker, comprehenders did not exhibit such early fixations. Experiment 2 provided novel evidence of the reliability effect in the absence of explicit instructions. In both experiments, the effects emerged in the earliest expected time window given the stimuli sentence structure. The results suggest that real-time interpretations of spoken language are optimized in the context of a speaker identity, characteristics of which are extrapolated across utterances.

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Modeling the latent structure of individual differences in the numerical size-congruity effect

10.31234/osf.io/4b9rs ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Thomas J. Faulkenberry ◽

Kristen Bowman

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Numerical Cognition ◽

Congruity Effect ◽

Numerical Magnitude ◽

Data Sets ◽

Comparison Task ◽

Physical Size ◽

The Individual ◽

Size Congruity Effect ◽

Individual Size

When people are asked to choose the physically larger of a pair of numerals, they are often slower when relative physical size is incongruent with numerical magnitude. This size-congruity effect is usually assumed as evidence for automatic activation of numerical magnitude. In this paper, we apply the methods of Haaf and Rouder (2017) to look at the size-congruity effect through the lens of individual differences. Here, we simply ask whether everyone exhibits the effect. We develop a class of hierarchical Bayesian mixed models with varying levels of constraint on the individual size- congruity effects. The models are then compared via Bayes factors, telling us which model best predicts the observed data. We then apply this modeling technique to three data sets. In all three data sets, the winning model was one in which the size-congruity effect was constrained to be positive. This indicates that, at least in a physical comparison task with numerals, everyone exhibits a positive size-congruity effect. We discuss these results in the context of measurement fidelity and theory-building in numerical cognition.

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Symbols are special: An fMRI adaptation study of symbolic, nonsymbolic and non-numerical magnitude processing in the human brain

10.31234/osf.io/xw2fq ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

H Moriah Sokolowski ◽

Zachary Hawes ◽

Lien Peters ◽

Daniel Ansari

Keyword(s):

Human Brain ◽

Processing System ◽

Number Processing ◽

Numerical Magnitude ◽

Physical Size ◽

Parietal Lobes ◽

Magnitude Processing ◽

The Right ◽

Fmri Adaptation ◽

Symbolic Number

Humans have the unique ability to represent and manipulate symbols. It is widely believed that this ability is rooted in an evolutionarily ancient system used to process nonsymbolic quantities in the human brain. In the current study, we used an fMRI adaptation paradigm to isolate the representations of symbols, quantities, and physical size in forty-five human adults. Results indicate that the neural correlates supporting symbolic number processing are entirely distinct from those supporting nonsymbolic magnitude processing. At the univariate level, symbolic number processing is associated with activation in the left inferior parietal lobule, whereas the processing of nonsymbolic magnitudes (both quantity and physical size), relates to activation in the right intraparietal sulcus. At the multivariate level, normalized patterns of activation for symbolic number processing exhibit a dissimilar pattern of activation compared to nonsymbolic magnitude processing in both the left and right parietal lobes. Additionally, the patterns of activation that associate with quantity and physical size are practically indistinguishable from one another. These findings challenge the longstanding belief that the culturally acquired ability to conceptualize symbolic numbers is rooted in an evolutionarily ancient system for nonsymbolic magnitude processing. Moreover, these data reveal that the system used to process nonsymbolic numbers may actually be a general magnitude processing system used to process numerical and non-numerical magnitudes. These findings highlight the need for the field to shift away from exploring how symbols are grounded in analog nonsymbolic representations, and toward more complex questions related to the neural consequences of learning symbolic numbers.

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Conjoint measurement of physical size and numerical magnitude: Numerals do not automatically activate their semantic meaning

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review ◽

10.3758/s13423-021-01990-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Fitousi

Keyword(s):

Numerical Magnitude ◽

Conjoint Measurement ◽

Semantic Meaning ◽

Physical Size

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Leaf blade and petiole nutritional evolution and variability throughout the crop season for Vitis vinifera L. cv. Graciano

Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.5424/sjar/2015133-5142 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. e0801 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Natalia Dominguez ◽

Enrique García-Escudero ◽

Izaskun Romero ◽

Ana Benito ◽

Ignacio Martín

Keyword(s):

Vitis Vinifera ◽

Seasonal Changes ◽

Leaf Blade ◽

Nutrient Concentration ◽

Growing Season ◽

Vitis Vinifera L ◽

Phenological Stage ◽

Font Size ◽

Crop Season ◽

Total N

An adequate nutritional state of a crop can be kept by means of a well-designed fertilization plan based on the assessment of the nutrient availability throughout the growing season. The objective of this study was to determine the reliability of leaf blade and petiole diagnosis and the period of validity of their references at both flowering and veraison by means of systematic monitoring throughout the complete growing season. The study was carried out in two plots planted with Vitis vinifera L. cv. Graciano within the AOC Rioja (Spain). Blades and petioles were collected throughout a growing season (2006) and total N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and B concentrations were analyzed in both tissues. Results suggest, in general, that petioles have higher variability and lower analysis reproducibility than blades. Therefore, blade could be a more appropriate tissue to evaluate N, P, K, Ca, and Mg at both flowering and veraison in this variety. Micronutrients in blade and petiole showed different variability behaviour in each of the vineyards studied, therefore, based on our results, it was difficult to determine which one could be the best tissue for the nutritional diagnosis of the ‘Graciano’ variety. Seasonal changes of nutrient concentration in both tissues also confirmed the need for reference values for each tissue and each phenological stage.

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The costs of being consequentialist: Social inference from instrumental harm and impartial beneficence

10.31234/osf.io/a2kx6 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jim Albert Charlton Everett ◽

Nadira Sophie Faber ◽

Julian Savulescu ◽

Molly Crockett

Keyword(s):

Interpersonal Relationships ◽

Social Relationships ◽

Direct Interaction ◽

Well Being ◽

Political Leader ◽

Total N ◽

Relational Context ◽

Different Types ◽

Economic Exchanges ◽

Different Dimensions

Previous work has demonstrated that people are more likely to trust “deontological” agents who reject harming one person to save many others than “consequentialist” agents who endorse such instrumental harms, which could explain the higher prevalence of non- consequentialist moral intuitions. Yet consequentialism involves endorsing not just instrumental harm, but also impartial beneficence, treating the well-being of every individual as equally important. In four studies (total N = 2,086), we investigated preferences for consequentialist vs. non-consequentialist social partners endorsing instrumental harm or impartial beneficence and examined how such preferences varied across different types of social relationships. Our results demonstrate robust preferences for non-consequentialist over consequentialist agents in the domain of instrumental harm, and weaker – but still evident – preferences in the domain of impartial beneficence. In the domain of instrumental harm, non-consequentialist agents were consistently viewed as more moral and trustworthy, preferred for a range of social roles, and entrusted with more money in economic exchanges. In the domain of impartial beneficence, preferences for non-consequentialist agents were observed for close interpersonal relationships requiring direct interaction (friend, spouse) but not for more distant roles with little-to- no personal interaction (political leader). Collectively our findings demonstrate that preferences for non-consequentialist agents are sensitive to the different dimensions of consequentialist thinking and the relational context.

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