The Faulty Magnitude Detector: Why SNARC-Like Tasks Cannot Support a Generalized Magnitude System.

The Faulty Magnitude Detector: Why SNARC-Like Tasks Cannot Support a Generalized Magnitude System.
Cogn Sci. 2019 Oct;43(10):e12794
Authors: Casasanto D, Pitt B
Abstract
Do people represent space, time, number, and other conceptual domains using a generalized magnitude system (GMS)? To answer this question, numerous studies have used the spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC) task and its variants. Yet, for a combination of reasons, SNARC-like effects cannot provide evidence for a GMS, even in principle. Rather, these effects support a broader theory of how people use space metaphorically to scaffold their understanding of myriad non-spatial domains, whether or not these domains exhibit variation in magnitude.
PMID: 31621122 [PubMed - in process]

Source: Cognitive Science - September 30, 2019 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Casasanto D, Pitt B Tags: Cogn Sci Source Type: research