执行功能与数量加工:回顾与展望

Executive Function and Number Processing: A Review

回顾了执行功能与数量加工之间的复杂关系。其中,执行功能的4个子系统——抑制、转换、刷新和双任务协调对数量加工的影响各不相同:抑制可以在一定程度上改变数量加工时的自动激活程度;转换功能则主要依赖注意来进行调节;刷新与数量加工关系的研究成果比较少;而双任务协调与数量加工之间的联系存在争论。文章最后分3个方面进行了研究趋势的展望,认为未来执行功能与数量加工的研究将突破相关研究的局限,通过更精巧的设计和大量特殊被试的研究取得突破性进展。

This paper discussed the relationship between executive function and its subcomponents, including inhibition, shifting, updating and dual task, and the number processing. The state of art concerning the study of relations between these four subcomponents and the number processing was found to be different: inhibition is repeatedly found to modulate the automatic number processing; shifting is found to relay on attention to influence the number processing; studies connecting updating with the number processing, however, is few; and controversies also exists for the relations between dual task coordination and the number processing. We believe that in future research the correlational studies will be aided more and more by causal studies with dedicated designs, the brain mechanisms underlying the connections between executive functions and the number processing will figure more and more prominently, and the special populations with deficits in the number processing will attract more and more attention.