Abstract
In Western participants, small numbers are associated with left and larger numbers with right space. A biological account proposes that brain asymmetries lead to these attentional asymmetries in number space. In contrast, a cultural account proposes that the direction of this association is shaped by reading direction. We explored whether number generation is influenced by reading direction in participants from a left-to-right (UK) and a right-to-left (Arab) reading culture. Participants generated numbers randomly while lying on their left and right side. The mean number generated by participants from a left-to-right reading culture was smaller when they lay on their left than on their right side, and the opposite was found for participants from a right-to-left reading culture. Asymmetries in number space observed in number generation are more compatible with a cultural than biological account.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 241-244 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Cognitive Processing |
Volume | 16 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Sep 2015 |
Keywords
- Cognitive development
- Cross-cultural
- Mental number line
- Numerical cognition
- Spatial cognition
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Artificial Intelligence