The organization of spatial reference frames involved in the SNARC effect

Abstract

The SNARC effect refers to faster reaction times for larger numbers with right-sided responses and for smaller numbers with left-sided responses, even when numerical magnitude is irrelevant. Although the SNARC is generally thought to reflect a mapping between numbers and space, the question of which spatial reference frame(s) are critical for the effect has not been systematically explored. We propose a dynamic hierarchical organization of the reference frames (from a global left–right frame to body- and object-related frames), where the influence of each frame can be modulated by experimental context. We conducted two experiments based on predictions derived from this organizational system. Experiment 1 compared instructions that differed only in focusing participants' attention on either the response buttons or the hands. Instructions focusing on a hand-based reference frame eliminated the SNARC. Experiment 2 provided the opportunity for an object-centred reference frame to manifest itself in the SNARC. Although we did not observe an effect of an object-centred reference frame, we observed the influence of other reference frames in a context where an object-centred reference frame was emphasized. Altogether, these results support the proposed organization of the reference frames.

Keywords:

• Numerical cognition
• Spatial reference frames
• Spatial–numerical association of response codes effect