Which numbers do you have in mind? Number generation is influenced by reading direction
In Western participants, small numbers are associated with left and larger numbers with right space. A biological account proposes that brain asymmetries lead to these attentional asymmetries in number space. In contrast, a cultural account proposes that the direction of this association is shaped by reading direction. We explored whether number generation is influenced by reading direction in participants from a left to right (UK) and a right to left (Arab) reading culture. Participants generated numbers randomly while lying on their left and right side. The mean number generated by participants from a left to right reading culture was smaller when they lay on their left than on their right side, and the opposite was found for participants from a right to left reading culture. Asymmetries in number space observed in number generation are more compatible with a cultural than biological account.
Cognitive Processing