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Spatial-numerical association of response codes

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Qwertyus (talk | contribs) at 18:04, 15 November 2012 (move the first SNARC to its own article, Stochastic neural analog reinforcement calculator). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Spatial-numerical association of response codes, or the SNARC-effect, is an automatic association between the location of the response hand and the abstract semantic magnitude of a given number which is modality-independent.

Even for tasks in which magnitude is irrelevant, like parity judgement or phoneme detection, larger numbers are faster responded to with the right response key while smaller numbers are faster responded to with the left. The explanation given by Dehaene and colleagues is that the magnitude of a number on an oriented mental number line is automatically activated. The mental number line is assumed to be oriented from left to right; thus larger numbers are spatially located on the right mentally. When the response key is also on the right, there is a congruency between the mental spatial location of the number on the number line and the location of the response. In such a congruent condition responses are fast and otherwise slow.

References

  • Dehaene, Bossini, & Giraux, 1993
  • Fias, Brysbaert, Geypens, & D’Ydewalle,1996
  • Nuerk, Wood, & Willmes, in press
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