Explicit versus implicit processing of representational space in neglect: dissociations in accessing the mental number line.
The present study investigated the effects of left hemispatial neglect on two tasks activating the mental number line (MNL). Six patients with left neglect performed a mental number bisection task and a modified version of the Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes (SNARC) task. Effects of left neglect were observed in the number bisection task, but not in the SNARC task. We argue that the dissociation between number bisection and SNARC resembles, in the representational space of the MNL, previously reported dissociations on neglect between explicit knowledge (assessed by direct tasks) and implicit knowledge (assessed by indirect tasks).
Priftis
Konstantinos
K
University of Padova, Italy. konstantinos.priftis@unipd.it
Zorzi
Marco
M
Meneghello
Francesca
F
Marenzi
Roberto
R
Umiltà
Carlo
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*