Frequency-tagging EEG reveals instruction-driven magnitude integration using the numerical distance effect

Marlair, Cathy;Lochy, Aliette;Crollen, Virginie
(2023) Réunion annuelle de la Société Française de Psychophysiologie et Neurosciences Cognitives (SPNC) — Location: Caen, Normandie (France) (16.October.2023)

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  • Marlair, Cathyorcid-logoUCLouvain
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  • Lochy, AlietteUniversité du Luxembourg
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  • Crollen, Virginieorcid-logoUCLouvain
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Abstract
While humans can readily access the common magnitude of various codes such as digits, number words or dot sets, whether this process occurs automatically or only when explicitly attending magnitude information remains elusive. We addressed this question by examining the neural distance effect, a robust marker of magnitude processing, with a frequency-tagging approach. Electrophysiological responses were recorded while participants viewed rapid sequences of a base numerosity presented at 6 Hz (e.g., “2”) in randomly mixed codes: digits, number words, canonical dot and finger configurations. A deviant numerosity either close (e.g., “3”) or distant (e.g., “8”) from the base was inserted every five items. Participants were instructed to focus their attention either on the magnitude number feature (from a previous study), the parity number feature, a non-numerical color feature or no specific feature. In the four attentional conditions, we found clear discrimination responses of the deviant numerosity despite its code variation. Critically, the distance effect (larger responses when base/deviant are distant than close) was present when participants were explicitly attending magnitude and parity, but it faded with color and simple viewing instructions. Taken together, these results suggest automatic access to an abstract number representation, but highlight the role of selective attention in processing the underlying magnitude information. This study therefore provides insights into how attention can modulate the neural activity supporting abstract magnitude processing.
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Marlair, C., Lochy, A., & Crollen, V. (2023). Frequency-tagging EEG reveals instruction-driven magnitude integration using the numerical distance effect. Réunion annuelle de la Société Française de Psychophysiologie et Neurosciences Cognitives (SPNC), Caen, Normandie (France). https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/100962