情绪效价对非符号数字空间编码的影响

The Influence of Emotional Valence on Non-symbolic Numbers Spatial Encoding

工作记忆在加工非符号数字时,会根据非符号数字的数量信息,将其以空间的方式进行编码后,把小数字表征在左侧、大数字表征在右侧。但是,工作记忆对非符号数字的空间编码是否会受到情绪效价的调节呢?本研究采用非符号数字快速分类范式对这一问题进行实验研究。实验随机向被试呈现1~5个(3个除外)数量不等的蜘蛛(实验1)或花朵(实验2),要求被试以按压左右键的方式判断呈现刺激的数量小于3还是大于3。结果发现,在蜘蛛数量分类中未出现SNARC效应(实验1),在花朵数量分类中出现了经典的SNARC效应(实验2)。说明工作记忆以空间的方式编码花朵,但未以空间的方式编码蜘蛛。由此可以推测,非符号数字在工作记忆中的空间编码受到情绪效价的调节。

When processing non-symbolic numbers, individuals will represent the small numbers on the left side and large numbers on the right side after encoding them in a spatial way in working memory according to the magnitude information of non-symbolic numbers. But is the spatial encoding of non-symbolic numbers in working memory modulated by emotional valence? In this study, the non-symbolic numbers rapid classification paradigm is adopted to study the above question.Specifically, 1-5(except 3) spiders(Experiment 1) or flowers(Experiment 2) were randomly presented to the participants who were asked to judge whether the number of stimuli presented was less than or greater than 3 by pressing the left and right key.The results show that there is no SNARC effect in spider number classification(Experiment 1),but there is a classic SNARC effect in flower number classification(Experiment 2).This result suggests that working memory encodes flowers but not spiders spatially. From this result it can be speculated that the spatial encoding of non-symbolic numbers in working memory is moderated by emotional valence.