Abrahamse Elger, van Dijck Jean-Philippe, Fias Wim
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Ghent Ghent, Belgium.
Front Psychol. 2016 Jun 29;7:977. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00977. eCollection 2016.
Number-space associations are a robust observation, but their underlying mechanisms remain debated. Two major accounts have been identified. First, spatial codes may constitute an intrinsic part of number representations stored in the brain - a perspective most commonly referred to as the Mental Number Line account. Second, spatial codes may be generated at the level of working memory when number (or other) representations are coordinated in function of a specific task. The aim of the current paper is twofold. First, whereas a pure Mental Number Line account cannot capture the complexity of observations reported in the literature, we here explore if and how a pure working memory account can suffice. Second, we make explicit (more than in our earlier work) the potential building blocks of such a working memory account, thereby providing clear and concrete foci for empirical efforts to test the feasibility of the account.
数字与空间的关联是一个确凿的观察结果，但其潜在机制仍存在争议。已确定了两种主要观点。首先，空间编码可能构成大脑中存储的数字表征的一个内在部分——这一观点最常被称为心理数字线观点。其次，当数字（或其他）表征根据特定任务进行功能协调时，空间编码可能在工作记忆层面产生。本文的目的有两个。首先，鉴于纯粹的心理数字线观点无法解释文献中所报道观察结果的复杂性，我们在此探讨纯粹的工作记忆观点是否足够以及如何足够。其次，我们（比之前的研究更明确地）阐述了这种工作记忆观点的潜在组成部分，从而为检验该观点可行性的实证研究提供清晰而具体的重点。
