scholarly journals A robust electrophysiological marker of spontaneous numerical discrimination

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie Georges ◽  
Mathieu Guillaume ◽  
Christine Schiltz
Keyword(s):  
Math Fluency ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Math Ability ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Numerical Discrimination ◽  
Electrophysiological Responses ◽  
Number Comparison ◽  
Passive Viewing ◽  
Stimulus Format ◽  
Neural Marker

Humans have a Number Sense that enables them to represent and manipulate numerical quantities. Behavioral data suggest that the acuity of numerical discrimination is predictively associated with math ability – especially in children – but some authors argued that its assessment is problematic. In the present study, we used frequency-tagged electroencephalography to objectively measure spontaneous numerical discrimination during passive viewing of dot or picture arrays in healthy adults. During one-minute sequences, we introduced periodic numerosity changes and we progressively increased the magnitude of such changes every ten seconds. We found significant brain synchronization to the periodic numerosity changes from the 1.2 ratio over medial occipital regions, and amplitude strength increased with the numerical ratio. Brain responses were reliable across both stimulus formats. Interestingly, electrophysiological responses also mirrored performances on a number comparison task and seemed to be linked to math fluency. In sum, we present a neural marker of numerical acuity that is passively evaluated in short sequences, independent of stimulus format and that reflects behavioural performances on explicit number comparison tasks.

scholarly journals A robust electrophysiological marker of spontaneous numerical discrimination

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie Georges ◽  
Mathieu Guillaume ◽  
Christine Schiltz
Keyword(s):  
Math Fluency ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Math Ability ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Numerical Discrimination ◽  
Electrophysiological Responses ◽  
Number Comparison ◽  
Passive Viewing ◽  
Stimulus Format ◽  
Neural Marker

Abstract Humans have a Number Sense that enables them to represent and manipulate numerical quantities. Behavioral data suggest that the acuity of numerical discrimination is predictively associated with math ability—especially in children—but some authors argued that its assessment is problematic. In the present study, we used frequency-tagged electroencephalography to objectively measure spontaneous numerical discrimination during passive viewing of dot or picture arrays in healthy adults. During 1-min sequences, we introduced periodic numerosity changes and we progressively increased the magnitude of such changes every ten seconds. We found significant brain synchronization to the periodic numerosity changes from the 1.2 ratio over medial occipital regions, and amplitude strength increased with the numerical ratio. Brain responses were reliable across both stimulus formats. Interestingly, electrophysiological responses also mirrored performances on a number comparison task and seemed to be linked to math fluency. In sum, we present a neural marker of numerical acuity that is passively evaluated in short sequences, independent of stimulus format and that reflects behavioural performances on explicit number comparison tasks.

Differences in Inter-Hemispheric Variance in Brain Responses of Attentive and Inattentive Human Subjects

1973 ◽  
Vol 36 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1099-1102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel N. Robinson ◽  
Robert Strandburg
Keyword(s):  
Human Subjects ◽  
Evoked Responses ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Passive Viewing ◽  
Light Flashes

Human Ss were exposed to light flashes under passive viewing conditions and under conditions calling for discriminative responses. Average evoked responses and the variances of these AERs were recorded from corresponding areas of the two hemispheres. The major finding is that, under attentive viewing, the two hemispheres respond with nearly equivalent variance whereas, under passive viewing, inter-hemispheric variance is markedly asymmetrical. Implications are discussed briefly.

scholarly journals Modulation of Parietal Activation by Semantic Distance in a Number Comparison Task

NeuroImage ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1013-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Pinel ◽  
Stanislas Dehaene ◽  
Denis Rivière ◽  
Denis LeBihan
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Distance ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Number Comparison

scholarly journals Number is not just an illusion: Discrete numerosity is encoded independently from perceived size

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Adriano ◽  
Luisa Girelli ◽  
Luca Rinaldi
Keyword(s):  
Convex Hull ◽  
Visual System ◽  
Object Segmentation ◽  
Ponzo Illusion ◽  
Visual Illusions ◽  
Continuous Variables ◽  
Discrete Elements ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Number Comparison

AbstractWhile seminal theories suggest that nonsymbolic visual numerosity is mainly extracted from segmented items, more recent views advocate that numerosity cannot be processed independently of nonnumeric continuous features confounded with the numerical set (i.e., such as the density, the convex hull, etc.). To disentangle these accounts, here we employed two different visual illusions presented in isolation or in a merged condition (e.g., combining the effects of the two illusions). In particular, in a number comparison task, we concurrently manipulated both the perceived object segmentation by connecting items with Kanizsa-like illusory lines, and the perceived convex-hull/density of the set by embedding the stimuli in a Ponzo illusion context, keeping constant other low-level features. In Experiment 1, the two illusions were manipulated in a compatible direction (i.e., both triggering numerical underestimation), whereas in Experiment 2 they were manipulated in an incompatible direction (i.e., with the Ponzo illusion triggering numerical overestimation and the Kanizsa illusion numerical underestimation). Results from psychometric functions showed that, in the merged condition, the biases of each illusion summated (i.e., largest underestimation as compared with the conditions in which illusions were presented in isolation) in Experiment 1, while they averaged and competed against each other in Experiment 2. These findings suggest that discrete nonsymbolic numerosity can be extracted independently from continuous magnitudes. They also point to the need of more comprehensive theoretical views accounting for the operations by which both discrete elements and continuous variables are computed and integrated by the visual system.

scholarly journals Numerical Comparisons and Sex-Related Brain Connectivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Fabiola R. Gómez-Velázquez ◽  
Andrés A. González-Garrido ◽  
Ricardo A. Salido-Ruiz ◽  
Sulema Torres-Ramos ◽  
Aurora Espinoza-Valdez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Numerical Comparison ◽  
Math Learning ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Progressive Development ◽  
Interhemispheric Connectivity ◽  
Number Comparison

Despite the recent literature on sex-related anatomic, maturational and functional brain differences, the study of significant individual developments in math learning and achievement has scarcely approached this perspective. We aimed to compare the influence of sex in functional brain connectivity and behavioral measures in a numerical comparison task. Therefore, a group of school children with ages from 8 to 11 years old was evaluated during a number comparison task. Even though the behavioral performance was similar across the sexes, males distinctly showed a significant correlation between their math WRAT-4 scores and the number of correct responses in the experimental task and working memory scores. Besides, the analysis of the concurrent EEG during task performance showed that males comparatively had a greater brain left intra-hemispheric connectivity, as well as greater interhemispheric connectivity, particularly in Theta and Alpha bands during task performing -as compared to resting-. In contrast, females showed a significantly different decrement of brain connectivity in the Alpha band from resting to task performing. Present results are interpreted as probably reflecting sex-related maturational dissimilarities in neurodevelopment, along with the progressive development of more efficient cognitive strategies, processes running not necessarily parallel in both sexes. 

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.

scholarly journals Detours increase local knowledge—Exploring the hidden benefits of self-control failure

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0257717
Author(s):  
Christian Dirk Wiesner ◽  
Jennifer Meyer ◽  
Christoph Lindner
Keyword(s):  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Number Comparison ◽  
Control Failure ◽  
The Cost

Self-control enables people to override momentary thoughts, emotions, or impulses in order to pursue long-term goals. Good self-control is a predictor for health, success, and subjective well-being, as bad self-control is for the opposite. Therefore, the question arises why evolution has not endowed us with perfect self-control. In this article, we draw some attention to the hidden benefits of self-control failure and present a new experimental paradigm that captures both costs and benefits of self-control failure. In an experiment, participants worked on three consecutive tasks: 1) In a transcription task, we manipulated how much effortful self-control two groups of participants had to exert. 2) In a number-comparison task, participants of both groups were asked to compare numbers and ignore distracting neutral versus reward-related pictures. 3) After a pause for recreation, participants were confronted with an unannounced recognition task measuring whether they had incidentally encoded the distracting pictures during the previous number-comparison task. The results showed that participants who exerted a high amount of effortful self-control during the first task shifted their priorities and attention toward the distractors during the second self-control demanding task: The cost of self-control failure was reflected in worse performance in the number-comparison task. Moreover, the group which had exerted a high amount of self-control during the first task and showed self-control failure during the second task was better in the unannounced third task. The benefit of self-control failure during number comparison was reflected in better performance during the recognition task. However, costs and benefits were not specific for reward-related distractors but also occurred with neutral pictures. We propose that the hidden benefit of self-control failure lies in the exploration of distractors present during goal pursuit, i.e. the collection of information about the environment and the potential discovery of new sources of reward. Detours increase local knowledge.

The fractions SNARC revisited: Processing fractions on a consistent mental number line

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (8) ◽  
pp. 1761-1770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Y Toomarian ◽  
Edward M Hubbard
Keyword(s):  
Number Line ◽  
Mental Number Line ◽  
Snarc Effect ◽  
Spatial Representations ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Single Digit ◽  
Magnitude Processing ◽  
Number Comparison ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
Solid Foundation

The ability to understand fractions is key to establishing a solid foundation in mathematics, yet children and adults struggle to comprehend them. Previous studies have suggested that these struggles emerge because people fail to process fraction magnitude holistically on the mental number line (MNL), focusing instead on fraction components. Subsequent studies have produced evidence for default holistic processing but examined only magnitude processing, not spatial representations. We explored the spatial representations of fractions on the MNL in a series of three experiments. Experiment 1 replicated Bonato et al.; 30 naïve undergraduates compared unit fractions (1/1-1/9) to 1/5, resulting in a reverse SNARC (Spatial-Numerical Association of Response Codes) effect. Experiment 2 countered potential strategic biases induced by the limited set of fractions used by Bonato et al. by expanding the stimulus set to include all irreducible, single-digit proper fractions and asked participants to compare them against 1/2. We observed a classic SNARC effect, completely reversing the pattern from Experiment 1. Together, Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrate that stimulus properties dramatically impact spatial representations of fractions. In Experiment 3, we demonstrated within-subjects reliability of the SNARC effect across both a fractions and whole number comparison task. Our results suggest that adults can indeed process fraction magnitudes holistically, and that their spatial representations occur on a consistent MNL for both whole numbers and fractions.

scholarly journals Brain function distinguishes female carriers and non-carriers of familial risk for autism

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam T. Eggebrecht ◽  
Ally Dworetsky ◽  
Zoë Hawks ◽  
Rebecca Coalson ◽  
Babatunde Adeyemo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Motion ◽  
Familial Risk ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Motion Processing ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Passive Viewing ◽  
Point Light ◽  
Genetic Loading ◽  
Neural Signatures

Abstract Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by high population-level heritability and a three-to-one male-to-female ratio that occurs independent of sex linkage. Prior research in a mixed-sex pediatric sample identified neural signatures of familial risk elicited by passive viewing of point light motion displays, suggesting the possibility that both resilience and risk of autism might be associated with brain responses to biological motion. To confirm a relationship between these signatures and inherited risk of autism, we tested them in families enriched for genetic loading through undiagnosed (“carrier”) females. Methods Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined brain responses to passive viewing of point light displays—depicting biological versus non-biological motion—in a sample of undiagnosed adult females enriched for inherited susceptibility to ASD on the basis of affectation in their respective family pedigrees. Brain responses in carrier females were compared to responses in age-, SRS-, and IQ-matched non-carrier-females—i.e., females unrelated to individuals with ASD. We conducted a hypothesis-driven analysis focused on previously published regions of interest as well as exploratory, brain-wide analyses designed to characterize more fully the rich responses to this paradigm. Results We observed robust responses to biological motion. Notwithstanding, the 12 regions implicated by prior research did not exhibit the hypothesized interaction between group (carriers vs. controls) and point light displays (biological vs. non-biological motion). Exploratory, brain-wide analyses identified this interaction in three novel regions. Post hoc analyses additionally revealed significant variations in the time course of brain activation in 20 regions spanning occipital and temporal cortex, indicating group differences in response to point light displays (irrespective of the nature of motion) for exploration in future studies. Limitations We were unable to successfully eye-track all participants, which prevented us from being able to control for potential differences in eye gaze position. Conclusions These methods confirmed pronounced neural signatures that differentiate brain responses to biological and scrambled motion. Our sample of undiagnosed females enriched for family genetic loading enabled discovery of numerous contrasts between carriers and non-carriers of risk of ASD that may index variations in visual attention and motion processing related to genetic susceptibility and inform our understanding of mechanisms incurred by inherited liability for ASD.

Neural Correlates of Symbolic Number Comparison in Developmental Dyscalculia

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 860-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Mussolin ◽  
Anne De Volder ◽  
Cécile Grandin ◽  
Xavier Schlögel ◽  
Marie-Cécile Nassogne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Number Processing ◽  
Numerical Distance ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Developmental Dyscalculia ◽  
Disability History ◽  
Magnitude Processing ◽  
Number Magnitude ◽  
Number Comparison ◽  
The Right ◽  
Symbolic Number

Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a deficit in number processing and arithmetic that affects 3–6% of schoolchildren. The goal of the present study was to analyze cerebral bases of DD related to symbolic number processing. Children with DD aged 9–11 years and matched children with no learning disability history were investigated using fMRI. The two groups of children were controlled for general cognitive factors, such as working memory, reading abilities, or IQ. Brain activations were measured during a number comparison task on pairs of Arabic numerals and a color comparison task on pairs of nonnumerical symbols. In each task, pairs of stimuli that were close or far on the relevant dimension were constituted. Brain activation in bilateral intraparietal sulcus (IPS) was modulated by numerical distance in controls but not in children with DD. Moreover, although the right IPS responded to numerical distance only, the left IPS was influenced by both numerical and color distances in control children. Our findings suggest that dyscalculia is associated with impairment in areas involved in number magnitude processing and, to a lesser extent, in areas dedicated to domain-general magnitude processing.

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