Distinct temporal mechanisms modulate numerosity perception

Andromachi Tsouli*, Maarten J. van der Smagt, Serge O. Dumoulin, Susan F. te Pas

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Our ability to process numerical and temporal information is an evolutionary skill thought to originate from a common magnitude system. In line with a common magnitude system, we have previously shown that adaptation to duration alters numerosity perception. Here, we investigate two hypotheses on how duration influences numerosity perception. A channelbased hypothesis predicts that numerosity perception is influenced by adaptation of onset/offset duration channels which also encode numerosity or wire together with numerosity channels (duration/numerosity channels). Hence, the onset/offset duration of the adapter is driving the effect regardless of the total duration of adaptation. A strength-of-adaptation hypothesis predicts that the effect of duration on numerosity perception is driven by the adaptation of numerosity channels only, with the total duration of adaptation driving the effect regardless of the onset/ offset duration of the adapter. We performed two experiments where we manipulated the onset/offset duration of the adapter, the adapter's total presentation time, and the total duration of the adaptation trial. The first experiment tested the effect of adaptation to duration on numerosity discrimination, whereas the second experiment tested the effect of adaptation to numerosity and duration on numerosity discrimination. We found that the effect of adaptation to duration on numerosity perception is primarily driven by adapting duration/numerosity channels, supporting the channelbased hypothesis. In contrast, the effect of adaptation to numerosity on numerosity perception appears to be driven by the total duration of the adaptation trial, supporting the strength-of-adaptation hypothesis. Thus, we show that adaptation of at least two temporal mechanisms influences numerosity perception.

Original languageEnglish
Article number19
Pages (from-to)1-22
Number of pages22
JournalJournal of Vision
Volume19
Issue number6
Early online date25 Jun 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2019

Funding

This work was supported in part by an Ammodo KNAW Award (SD). The Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging is a joint institute of the University of Amsterdam, Academic Medical Center, VU University, VU Medical Center, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and the Royal Netherlands Academy for Arts and Sciences.

FundersFunder number
Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience
Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen
VU Medical Center
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Keywords

    • Adaptation
    • Channel
    • Duration
    • Numerosity
    • Time

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Distinct temporal mechanisms modulate numerosity perception'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this