Visual Perception Supports Adults in Numerosity Processing and Arithmetical Performance

Abstract

Previous studies have found a correlation between numerosity processing and arithmetical performance. Visual perception has already been indicated as the shared cognitive mechanism between these two; however, these studies mostly focused on children. It is not clear whether the association between numerosity processing and arithmetical performance still existed following the development of individual arithmetical performance. Consequently, the underlying role of visual perception in numerosity processing and arithmetical performance has not been sufficiently studied in adults. For this study, researchers selected a total of 205 adult participants with an average age of 22years. The adults were administered arithmetic tests, numerosity comparison, and visual figure matching. Mental rotation, choice reaction time, and nonverbal intelligence were used as cognitive covariates. Results showed that numerosity comparison of adults correlated with their arithmetical performance, even after controlling for age and gender differences as well as general cognitive processing. However, after controlled for visual figure matching, the well-established association between numerosity comparison and arithmetic performance disappeared. These results supported the visual perception hypothesis, that visual perception measured by visual figure matching can account for the correlation between numerosity comparison and arithmetic performance. This indicated that even for adult populations, visual perceptual ability was the underlying component of numerosity processing and arithmetic performance.

Extent of magnitude representation deficit and relationship with arithmetic skills in children with 22q11.2DS

“…Alternative models suggest dual separated symbolic/non-symbolic representations [ 12 , 13 ] or a progressive differentiation of magnitude representation systems with age [ 14 , 15 ]. Some evidence has also suggested that arithmetic skills rely on other cognitive mechanisms, such as working memory [ 16 – 18 ] or visuospatial perception [ 19 , 20 ].…”