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- Title
Paying attention to attention: evidence for an attentional contribution to the size congruity effect.
- Authors
Risko, Evan; Maloney, Erin; Fugelsang, Jonathan
- Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms supporting our comprehension of magnitude information represents a key goal in cognitive psychology. A major phenomenon employed in the pursuit of this goal has been the physical size congruity effect-namely, the observation that comparing the relative numerical sizes of two numbers is influenced by their relative physical sizes. The standard account of the physical size congruity effect attributes it to the automatic influence of the comparison of irrelevant physical magnitudes on numerical judgments. Here we develop an alternative account of this effect on the basis of the operation of attention in the typical size congruity display and the temporal dynamics of number comparison. We also provide a test of a number of predictions derived from this alternative account by combining a physical size congruity manipulation with a manipulation designed to alter the operation of attention within the typical size congruity display (i.e., a manipulation of the relative onsets of the digits). This test provides evidence consistent with an attentional contribution to the size congruity effect. Implications for our understanding of magnitude and the interactions between attention and magnitude are discussed.
- Subjects
ATTENTION research; APPERCEPTION; AUTOMATICITY (Learning process); COGNITIVE ability; COGNITION
- Publication
Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, 2013, Vol 75, Issue 6, p1137
- ISSN
1943-3921
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3758/s13414-013-0477-2