Embodied Magnitude Processing: On the Relation Between the SNARC Effect and Perceived Reachability

Magnitude information, for instance, regarding weight, distance, or velocity, is crucial for planning goal-directed interactions. Accordingly, magnitude information, including numerical magnitude, can affect actions: Responses to small numbers are faster with the left hand than the right and vice ve...

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Main Authors: Nadine Koch, Johannes Lohmann, Martin V. Butz, Hans-Christoph Nuerk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Insitute for Psychology 2024-03-01
Series:Journal of Numerical Cognition
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.10885
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author Nadine Koch
Johannes Lohmann
Martin V. Butz
Hans-Christoph Nuerk
author_facet Nadine Koch
Johannes Lohmann
Martin V. Butz
Hans-Christoph Nuerk
author_sort Nadine Koch
collection DOAJ
description Magnitude information, for instance, regarding weight, distance, or velocity, is crucial for planning goal-directed interactions. Accordingly, magnitude information, including numerical magnitude, can affect actions: Responses to small numbers are faster with the left hand than the right and vice versa (hand-based SNARC effect). Previous experiments found an influence of effector placements on the SNARC effect but also an influence of the mere distance between effectors and numbers. This indicates a sensorimotor grounding of space-number processing. In the current study, we investigated this grounding by probing the SNARC effect close to and far from the hands. We used a magnitude comparison task with a fixed standard of 5 (smaller numbers 1, 2, 3, 4; larger numbers 6, 7, 8, 9) and a sagittal response arrangement to measure hand-based and sagittal SNARC effects for digits presented at different sagittal distances to the hands, i.e., in peripersonal and extrapersonal space. A significant sagittal SNARC effect was found, with the largest effect size in extrapersonal space. Meanwhile, the hand-based SNARC effect appeared only descriptively, with the largest effect size between the hands, i.e., in peripersonal space. Additionally, a purely spatial congruency effect surfaced, prioritizing responses with the hand closer to the number. Together, these results emphasize that responses in simple decision-making tasks can be influenced interactively by a multitude of task-relevant axes and relative spatial locations, including effector placement and stimulus placement, as well as number magnitude.
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spelling doaj-art-4e0805e2e79f4c1a87dbd3a1308884eb2024-12-09T10:42:45ZengPsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Insitute for PsychologyJournal of Numerical Cognition2363-87612024-03-011010.5964/jnc.10885jnc.10885Embodied Magnitude Processing: On the Relation Between the SNARC Effect and Perceived ReachabilityNadine Koch0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3707-1668Johannes Lohmann1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5282-9679Martin V. Butz2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8120-8537Hans-Christoph Nuerk3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0331-7498Department of Computer Science, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, GermanyDepartment of Computer Science, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, GermanyDepartment of Computer Science, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, GermanyMagnitude information, for instance, regarding weight, distance, or velocity, is crucial for planning goal-directed interactions. Accordingly, magnitude information, including numerical magnitude, can affect actions: Responses to small numbers are faster with the left hand than the right and vice versa (hand-based SNARC effect). Previous experiments found an influence of effector placements on the SNARC effect but also an influence of the mere distance between effectors and numbers. This indicates a sensorimotor grounding of space-number processing. In the current study, we investigated this grounding by probing the SNARC effect close to and far from the hands. We used a magnitude comparison task with a fixed standard of 5 (smaller numbers 1, 2, 3, 4; larger numbers 6, 7, 8, 9) and a sagittal response arrangement to measure hand-based and sagittal SNARC effects for digits presented at different sagittal distances to the hands, i.e., in peripersonal and extrapersonal space. A significant sagittal SNARC effect was found, with the largest effect size in extrapersonal space. Meanwhile, the hand-based SNARC effect appeared only descriptively, with the largest effect size between the hands, i.e., in peripersonal space. Additionally, a purely spatial congruency effect surfaced, prioritizing responses with the hand closer to the number. Together, these results emphasize that responses in simple decision-making tasks can be influenced interactively by a multitude of task-relevant axes and relative spatial locations, including effector placement and stimulus placement, as well as number magnitude.https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.10885snarc effectspatial representationpersonal spacestheory of magnitudeembodied numerical cognitionvirtual reality
spellingShingle Nadine Koch
Johannes Lohmann
Martin V. Butz
Hans-Christoph Nuerk
Embodied Magnitude Processing: On the Relation Between the SNARC Effect and Perceived Reachability
Journal of Numerical Cognition
snarc effect
spatial representation
personal spaces
theory of magnitude
embodied numerical cognition
virtual reality
title Embodied Magnitude Processing: On the Relation Between the SNARC Effect and Perceived Reachability
title_full Embodied Magnitude Processing: On the Relation Between the SNARC Effect and Perceived Reachability
title_fullStr Embodied Magnitude Processing: On the Relation Between the SNARC Effect and Perceived Reachability
title_full_unstemmed Embodied Magnitude Processing: On the Relation Between the SNARC Effect and Perceived Reachability
title_short Embodied Magnitude Processing: On the Relation Between the SNARC Effect and Perceived Reachability
title_sort embodied magnitude processing on the relation between the snarc effect and perceived reachability
topic snarc effect
spatial representation
personal spaces
theory of magnitude
embodied numerical cognition
virtual reality
url https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.10885
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AT johanneslohmann embodiedmagnitudeprocessingontherelationbetweenthesnarceffectandperceivedreachability
AT martinvbutz embodiedmagnitudeprocessingontherelationbetweenthesnarceffectandperceivedreachability
AT hanschristophnuerk embodiedmagnitudeprocessingontherelationbetweenthesnarceffectandperceivedreachability