Unbounded number line estimation as a measure of numerical estimation

Abstract

Number magnitude estimation has been investigated over the last decades using different tasks including non-symbolic numerosity but also number line estimation tasks. Recently, a bi-directional mapping process was suggested for numerosity estimation accounting for underestimation in a perception version of the task (i.e., indicating the number of non-symbolic dots in a set) and overestimation in the corresponding production task (i.e., produce the number of dots indicated by a symbolic number). In the present study, we evaluated the generalizability of these estimation biases in perception and production tasks to bounded and unbounded number line estimation. Importantly, target numbers were underestimated/ overestimated by participants in the perception/production version of numerosity estimation as well as unbounded number line estimation. However, this pattern was reversed for bounded number line estimation. Thereby, the present data indicate a conceptual similarity of unbounded number line estimation and the established non-symbolic numerosity estimation task as a measure of numerical estimation. Accordingly, this corroborates the notion that unbounded number line estimation may reflect a purer measure of number magnitude representation than the bounded task version. Furthermore, our findings strengthen the bidirectional mapping hypothesis for numerical estimation by providing evidence for its generalizability to unbounded number line estimation for the first time.