title: Cognitive control in number magnitude processing: evidence from eye-tracking.
abstract: The unit-decade compatibility effect describes longer response times and higher error rates for incompatible (e.g., 37_52) than compatible (e.g., 42_57) number comparisons. Recent research indicated that the effect depends on the percentage of same-decade filler items. In the present study, we further examined this relationship by recording participants' eye-fixation behaviour. In four conditions, participants had to compare item sets with different filler item types (i.e., same-decade and same-unit filler items) and different numbers of same-decade filler items (i.e., 25, 50, and 75%). We found a weaker unit-decade compatibility effect with most fixations on tens in the condition with same-unit filler items. Moreover, the compatibility effect increased with the percentage of same-decade filler items which was accompanied by less fixations on tens and more fixations on units. Thus, our study provides first eye-tracking evidence for the influence of cognitive control in number processing.
authors.affiliation: Knowledge Media Research Center, Schleichstrasse 6, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany, s.huber@iwm-kmrc.de.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mann
authors.forename: H-C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Nuerk
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moeller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult