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The number-weight illusion

  • When objects are manually lifted to compare their weight, then smaller objects are judged to be heavier than larger objects of the same physical weights: the classical size-weight illusion (Gregory, 2004). It is also well established that increasing numerical magnitude is strongly associated with increasing physical size: the number-size congruency effect e.g., (Besner & Coltheart Neuropsychologia, 17, 467-472 1979); Henik & Tzelgov Memory & Cognition, 10, 389-395 1982). The present study investigates the question suggested by combining these two classical effects: if smaller numbers are associated with smaller size, and objects of smaller size appear heavier, then are numbered objects (balls) of equal weight and size also judged as heavier when they carry smaller numbers? We present two experiments testing this hypothesis for weight comparisons of numbered (1 to 9) balls of equal size and weight, and report results which largely conform to an interpretation in terms of a new number-weight illusion.

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Metadaten
Author details:Wolfgang SchwarzORCiDGND, Dennis ReikeORCiDGND
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-018-1484-z
ISSN:1069-9384
ISSN:1531-5320
Pubmed ID:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29752678
Title of parent work (English):Psychonomic bulletin & review : a journal of the Psychonomic Society
Publisher:Springer
Place of publishing:New York
Publication type:Article
Language:English
Date of first publication:2018/05/11
Publication year:2018
Release date:2021/04/13
Tag:Number-size congruency effect; Numerical distance effect; Paired comparison; Reafference principle; Size-weight illusion
Volume:26
Issue:1
Number of pages:8
First page:332
Last Page:339
Funding institution:Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)German Research Foundation (DFG) [SCHW 611/5-1]
Organizational units:Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Strukturbereich Kognitionswissenschaften / Department Psychologie
DDC classification:1 Philosophie und Psychologie / 15 Psychologie / 150 Psychologie
Peer review:Referiert
Publishing method:Open Access / Bronze Open-Access
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