title: The role of working memory in the association between number magnitude and space.
abstract: In two experiments, participants performed a magnitude comparison task in single and dual-task conditions. In the dual conditions, the comparison task was accomplished while phonological or visuospatial information had to be maintained for a later recall test. The results showed that the requirement of maintaining visuospatial information produced the lack of spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC) effect. The SNARC effect was not found even when the performance in the comparison task did not decline, as indicated by a similar distance effect in all conditions. These results show a special role for the visuospatial component of working memory in the processing of spatial representation of numbers and an interesting dissociation between SNARC and distance effects.
authors.affiliation: Agora Center, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. aherrera@um.es
authors.forename: Amparo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Macizo
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Semenza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D010700:Phonetics; D013028:Space Perception; D014796:Visual Perception