Blind individuals show pseudoneglect in bisecting numerical intervals

Abstract

Neurologically normal individuals typically show a leftward bias-known as pseudoneglect-in bisecting physical lines as well as numerical intervals. The latter bias may reflect the spatial nature in which numbers are represented (i. e., the mental number line). In previous studies, we found that congenitally blind individuals show such leftward bias in haptic bisection. Here, we demonstrate that blind individuals also show a consistent leftward bias in numerical bisection. The leftward bias was greater when numbers were presented in descending rather than ascending order, and the magnitude of the leftward bias was comparable to that shown by a control group of blindfolded sighted participants. Our findings thus support the view that pseudoneglect operates at a mental representational level rather than being perceptually based. Moreover, the consistent leftward bias shown by blind individuals in both line and numerical bisection suggests that the right hemisphere dominance in spatial processing, resulting in an overestimation of the left side of space, develops even in the absence of any visual input. © 2011 Psychonomic Society, Inc.