Breaking ranks: space and number may march to the beat of a different drum.
Number processing can evoke spatial representations and cause lateralized attention shifts. The article by Wood et al. suggests interesting considerations about the mental space of numbers by pointing to a difference between physical and numerical space processing. We read Wood et al.'s findings in a perspective that takes into consideration a currently debated issue, that is the relation between Simon and SNARC effects. By pointing to a difference between peripheral onsets and numerical targets, indeed, their finding suggests that the hypothesis of a complete overlap between Simon and SNARC effects is less plausible than a partial overlap hypothesis.
Rusconi
Elena
E
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK. e.rusconi@ucl.ac.uk
Umiltà
Carlo
C
Galfano
Giovanni
G
D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*