Yue Tianqi, Guan Buxuan, Wu Yan
School of Psychology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
Dalian No.13 Senior High School, Dalian 116021, China.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 Jan 1;15(1):33. doi: 10.3390/bs15010033.
This study investigated the cognitive and neural mechanisms of exact and approximate arithmetic using fNIRS technology during natural calculation processes (i.e., the production paradigm). Behavioral results showed (1) a significantly longer reaction time for exact arithmetic compared to approximate arithmetic, and (2) both exact and approximate arithmetic exhibited a problem size effect, with larger operands requiring more time. The fNIRS results further revealed differences in the neural bases underlying these two arithmetic processes, with exact arithmetic showing greater activation in the L-SFG (left superior frontal gyrus, CH16), while approximate arithmetic exhibited problem size effect in the right hemisphere. Additionally, larger operands registered more brain activities in the R-DLPFC (right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, CH4), R-SFG (right superior frontal gyrus, CH2), and PMC and SMA (pre- and supplementary motor cortexes, CH3) compared to smaller operands in approximate arithmetic. Moreover, correlation analysis found a significant correlation between approximate arithmetic and semantic processing in the R-PMC and R-SMA (right pre- and supplementary motor cortexes). These findings suggest a neural dissociation between exact and approximate arithmetic, with exact arithmetic processing showing a dominant role in the left hemisphere, while approximate arithmetic processing was more sensitive in the right hemisphere.
本研究使用功能近红外光谱技术（fNIRS），在自然计算过程（即生成范式）中探究精确算术和近似算术的认知与神经机制。行为学结果显示：（1）与近似算术相比，精确算术的反应时间显著更长；（2）精确算术和近似算术均表现出问题大小效应，即操作数越大，所需时间越长。fNIRS结果进一步揭示了这两种算术过程背后神经基础的差异，精确算术在左侧额上回（L-SFG，CH16）表现出更强的激活，而近似算术在右半球表现出问题大小效应。此外，在近似算术中，与较小操作数相比，较大操作数在右侧背外侧前额叶皮质（R-DLPFC，CH4）、右侧额上回（R-SFG，CH2）以及运动前区和辅助运动区（PMC和SMA，CH3）记录到更多的脑活动。此外，相关性分析发现，近似算术与右侧运动前区和右侧辅助运动区（R-PMC和R-SMA）的语义处理之间存在显著相关性。这些发现表明精确算术和近似算术在神经上存在分离，精确算术处理在左半球起主导作用，而近似算术处理在右半球更敏感。
