Abstract
Subitizing (enumerating four or fewer objects) and estimation (enumerating five or more objects) are two rapid enumeration processes. The relationship between them remains undetermined, especially in tactile modality. The present study used a double enumeration paradigm to assess switch costs. In this paradigm, participants were required to enumerate two sequentially presented arrays of tactile stimuli, each with a set size either within or outside of a predetermined subitizing range. When enumeration process switched between subitizing and estimation, participants’ response to the second array showed a higher error rate and worse precision, relative to no processing switch conditions. Meanwhile, the switch costs exhibited an asymmetry pattern - the switch from estimation to subitizing gave rise to a worse precision than the switch from subitizing to estimation did. During a switch from subitizing to estimation, the switch costs nearly vanished, since subitizing had already mobilized both approximate number representation system (ANS) and object individuation (OI). The switch costs also disappeared when inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs) between the two arrays were extended (i.e., preparation effect). Our results supported “dual component hypothesis” that subitizing activated OI and ANS processes while estimation only activated ANS, corresponding with evidence from visual modality. Taken together, the present findings suggest that tactile subitizing mobilizes both OI and ANS processes, and non-symbol number representation is modality-independent.
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All data are available at https://osf.io/ksjcu/.
Notes
In each ANOVA of each experiment, the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons was used in post-hoc tests. Whenever the Sphericity assumption was violated, we applied the Greenhouse-Geisser correction in each ANOVA
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grants from the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 62061136001, 31861133012,11774379).
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This study was funded by Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 62061136001, 31861133012,11774379).
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Significance Statement
Subitizing and estimation are two critical enumeration processes for non-symbol numbers enumeration. While the evidence from the visual and auditory modalities was sufficient, there were relatively fewer investigations on the switch costs between the them in tactile modality. Here we implemented non-symbol tactile enumeration tasks and revealed object individuation (OI) processes during the asymmetric transition for switch cost, and proved non-symbol numbers representation was on abstract level and modality-independent.
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Lou, C., Zeng, H. & Chen, L. Asymmetric switch cost between subitizing and estimation in tactile modality. Curr Psychol 42, 15141–15155 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02858-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02858-w