Systematic spatial distortion of quantitative estimates
- Magnitude estimation has been studied since the beginnings of scientific psychology and constitutes a fundamental aspect of human behavior. Yet, it has apparently never been noticed that estimates depend on the spatial arrangement used. We tested 167 adults in three experiments to show that the spatial layout of stimuli and responses systematically distorts number estimation, length production, and weight reproduction performance. The direction of distortion depends on the observer's counting habits, but does not seem to reflect the use of spatially associated number concepts. Our results imply that all quantitative estimates are contaminated by a "spell of space" whenever stimuli or responses are spatially distributed.
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| Author details: | Samuel ShakiORCiD, Martin H. FischerORCiDGND |
|---|---|
| URN: | urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-545457 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.25932/publishup-54545 |
| ISSN: | 1866-8364 |
| Pubmed ID: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32676794 |
| Title of parent work (German): | Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe |
| Publication series (Volume number): | Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe (846) |
| Publication type: | Postprint |
| Language: | English |
| Date of first publication: | 2020/07/16 |
| Publication year: | 2020 |
| Publishing institution: | Universität Potsdam |
| Release date: | 2024/04/26 |
| Tag: | associations; habits; numbers; spaces |
| Issue: | 6 |
| Number of pages: | 11 |
| Source: | Psychological Research 85, 2177–2185 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-020-01390-5 |
| 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 / Green Open-Access |
| License (German): |  CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International |
| External remark: | Bibliographieeintrag der Originalveröffentlichung/Quelle |
