Article Version of Record

Magnitude processing of symbolic and non-symbolic proportions: an fMRI study.

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Mock, J.
Huber, S.
Bloechle, J.
Dietrich, J.F.
Bahnmueller, J.
Rennig, J.
Klein, E.
Moeller, K.

Other kind(s) of contributor

Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien

Abstract / Description

Abstract Background Recent research indicates that processing proportion magnitude is associated with activation in the intraparietal sulcus. Thus, brain areas associated with the processing of numbers (i.e., absolute magnitude) were activated during processing symbolic fractions as well as non-symbolic proportions. Here, we investigated systematically the cognitive processing of symbolic (e.g., fractions and decimals) and non-symbolic proportions (e.g., dot patterns and pie charts) in a two-stage procedure. First, we investigated relative magnitude-related activations of proportion processing. Second, we evaluated whether symbolic and non-symbolic proportions share common neural substrates. Methods We conducted an fMRI study using magnitude comparison tasks with symbolic and non-symbolic proportions, respectively. As an indicator for magnitude-related processing of proportions, the distance effect was evaluated. Results A conjunction analysis indicated joint activation of specific occipito-parietal areas including right intraparietal sulcus (IPS) during proportion magnitude processing. More specifically, results indicate that the IPS, which is commonly associated with absolute magnitude processing, is involved in processing relative magnitude information as well, irrespective of symbolic or non-symbolic presentation format. However, we also found distinct activation patterns for the magnitude processing of the different presentation formats. Conclusion Our findings suggest that processing for the separate presentation formats is not only associated with magnitude manipulations in the IPS, but also increasing demands on executive functions and strategy use associated with frontal brain regions as well as visual attention and encoding in occipital regions. Thus, the magnitude processing of proportions may not exclusively reflect processing of number magnitude information but also rather domain-general processes.

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2018

Journal title

Behavioral and Brain Functions

Volume

14:9

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Mock, J., Huber, S., Bloechle, J., Dietrich, J. F., Bahnmueller, J., Rennig, J., … Moeller, K. (2018). Magnitude processing of symbolic and non-symbolic proportions: an fMRI study. Leibniz Institut für Psychologische Information und Dokumentation (ZPID). https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2555
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Mock, J.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Huber, S.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Bloechle, J.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Dietrich, J.F.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Bahnmueller, J.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Rennig, J.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Klein, E.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Moeller, K.
  • Other kind(s) of contributor
    Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2019-08-16T12:49:09Z
  • Made available on
    2019-08-16T12:49:09Z
  • Date of first publication
    2018
  • Abstract / Description
    Abstract Background Recent research indicates that processing proportion magnitude is associated with activation in the intraparietal sulcus. Thus, brain areas associated with the processing of numbers (i.e., absolute magnitude) were activated during processing symbolic fractions as well as non-symbolic proportions. Here, we investigated systematically the cognitive processing of symbolic (e.g., fractions and decimals) and non-symbolic proportions (e.g., dot patterns and pie charts) in a two-stage procedure. First, we investigated relative magnitude-related activations of proportion processing. Second, we evaluated whether symbolic and non-symbolic proportions share common neural substrates. Methods We conducted an fMRI study using magnitude comparison tasks with symbolic and non-symbolic proportions, respectively. As an indicator for magnitude-related processing of proportions, the distance effect was evaluated. Results A conjunction analysis indicated joint activation of specific occipito-parietal areas including right intraparietal sulcus (IPS) during proportion magnitude processing. More specifically, results indicate that the IPS, which is commonly associated with absolute magnitude processing, is involved in processing relative magnitude information as well, irrespective of symbolic or non-symbolic presentation format. However, we also found distinct activation patterns for the magnitude processing of the different presentation formats. Conclusion Our findings suggest that processing for the separate presentation formats is not only associated with magnitude manipulations in the IPS, but also increasing demands on executive functions and strategy use associated with frontal brain regions as well as visual attention and encoding in occipital regions. Thus, the magnitude processing of proportions may not exclusively reflect processing of number magnitude information but also rather domain-general processes.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Mock, J., Huber, S., Bloechle, J., Dietrich, J. F., Bahnmueller, J., Rennig, J., … Moeller, K. (2018). Magnitude processing of symbolic and non-symbolic proportions: an fMRI study. Leibniz Institut für Psychologische Information und Dokumentation (ZPID). https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2555
    en
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/2179
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2555
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.1186/s12993-018-0141-z
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Magnitude processing of symbolic and non-symbolic proportions: an fMRI study.
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Leibniz institute name(s) / abbreviation(s)
    IWM
  • Leibniz subject classification
    Psychologie
  • Journal title
    Behavioral and Brain Functions
  • Volume
    14:9
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record