Naming digits in a semantic blocking paradigm

Abstract

It is widely agreed that word numerals are processed similar to other words, and, thus, they can be named without semantic mediation. However, there is no consensus about Arabic digits. Although digits seem to have a preferential link to magnitude representation, there is some evidence indicating a possible asemantic route to access phonological information. In the present study, we used a semantic blocking paradigm to explore this question. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to name digits and pictures or numeral words and name of objects in a semantic blocked context and in a mixed context. For both types of numerical notation we found facilitation in the blocked condition relative to the mixed condition. In Experiment 2, participants named two-digit numbers in a blocked condition (short numerical distance) or in a mixed condition (large numerical distance). Again, facilitation was found for the blocked condition relative to the mixed condition. This pattern of results seems to indicate that Arabic digits, like number words, might be named through an asemantic route.

Semantic processing in the production of numerals across notations.

“…In summary, for other categories there was an interference effect produced by the blocked context relative to the mixed context for picture naming but not for word naming, which replicated previous studies (e.g., Damián et al, 2001;Herrera & Macizo, 2011;Kroll & Stewart, 1994). For numerical category, the results showed that the blocked context produced shorter RTs regardless of the notation, which replicated our previous work.…”

“…These results corroborated and extended our previous findings (Herrera & Macizo, 2011) by showing that this context effect did not depend on the stimuli that accompanied Arabic digits and number words. In particular, in the case of Arabic digits, a possible account for the absence of interference previously found could be in terms of response criterion adopted by the participants as function of the difficulty of the stimuli in the task (e.g., Lupker et al, 1997;Meyer et al, 2003;Taylor & Lupker, 2001).…”

“…As we exposed above, a possible account for the facilitation found with Arabic digits in our previous study (Herrera & Macizo, 2011) could be based on a switching cost effect (e.g., Monsell, 2003). In keeping with the switching cost explanation, longer RTs in the mixed condition would emerge due to the continuous switching between stimuli (pictures and digits) that differ perceptually or in conceptual domain.…”

“…As we have argued (Herrera & Macizo, 2011), numbers are leamed, at least in part, as a given sequence of words. Furthermore, they are frequently used to count or to enumerate things in everyday situations.…”

Cognitive processing of currency: Euros and dollars

“…Specifically, the authors asked whether the processing of banknotes required the accessing to semantic information. To this end, they adopted the blocking paradigm (Damian, Vigliocco, & Levelt, ; Kroll & Stewart, ; Levelt, ) to evaluate the semantic processing of two dimensions that define banknotes: the processing of pictures (Glaser, ) and the processing of numbers (Herrera & Macizo, , ; Roelofs, ). In this paradigm, participants name sequences of pictures in two situations: mixed and blocked.…”