Eye gaze reveals a fast, parallel extraction of the syntax of arithmetic formulas

Mathematics shares with language an essential reliance on the human capacity for recursion, permitting the generation of an infinite range of embedded expressions from a finite set of symbols. We studied the role of syntax in arithmetic thinking, a neglected component of numerical cognition, by exam...

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Publicado: 2012
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Acceso en línea:https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00100277_v125_n3_p475_Schneider
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00100277_v125_n3_p475_Schneider
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spelling paper:paper_00100277_v125_n3_p475_Schneider2023-06-08T14:34:12Z Eye gaze reveals a fast, parallel extraction of the syntax of arithmetic formulas Arithmetic Cognitive architecture Gestalt Language Mathematical education adult arithmetic article calculation clinical article cognition eye fixation eye movement gaze human language priority journal stereotypy thinking Adult Cognition Eye Movement Measurements Eye Movements Fixation, Ocular Humans Mathematics Reaction Time Reading Mathematics shares with language an essential reliance on the human capacity for recursion, permitting the generation of an infinite range of embedded expressions from a finite set of symbols. We studied the role of syntax in arithmetic thinking, a neglected component of numerical cognition, by examining eye movement sequences during the calculation of arithmetic expressions. Specifically, we investigated whether, similar to language, an expression has to be scanned sequentially while the nested syntactic structure is being computed or, alternatively, whether this structure can be extracted quickly and in parallel. Our data provide evidence for the latter: fixations sequences were stereotypically organized in clusters that reflected a fast identification of syntactic embeddings. A syntactically relevant pattern of eye movement was observed even when syntax was defined by implicit procedural rules (precedence of multiplication over addition) rather than explicit parentheses. While the total number of fixations was determined by syntax, the duration of each fixation varied with the complexity of the arithmetic operation at each step. These findings provide strong evidence for a syntactic organization for arithmetic thinking, paving the way for further comparative analysis of differences and coincidences in the instantiation of recursion in language and mathematics. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. 2012 https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00100277_v125_n3_p475_Schneider http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00100277_v125_n3_p475_Schneider
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic Arithmetic
Cognitive architecture
Gestalt
Language
Mathematical education
adult
arithmetic
article
calculation
clinical article
cognition
eye fixation
eye movement
gaze
human
language
priority journal
stereotypy
thinking
Adult
Cognition
Eye Movement Measurements
Eye Movements
Fixation, Ocular
Humans
Mathematics
Reaction Time
Reading
spellingShingle Arithmetic
Cognitive architecture
Gestalt
Language
Mathematical education
adult
arithmetic
article
calculation
clinical article
cognition
eye fixation
eye movement
gaze
human
language
priority journal
stereotypy
thinking
Adult
Cognition
Eye Movement Measurements
Eye Movements
Fixation, Ocular
Humans
Mathematics
Reaction Time
Reading
Eye gaze reveals a fast, parallel extraction of the syntax of arithmetic formulas
topic_facet Arithmetic
Cognitive architecture
Gestalt
Language
Mathematical education
adult
arithmetic
article
calculation
clinical article
cognition
eye fixation
eye movement
gaze
human
language
priority journal
stereotypy
thinking
Adult
Cognition
Eye Movement Measurements
Eye Movements
Fixation, Ocular
Humans
Mathematics
Reaction Time
Reading
description Mathematics shares with language an essential reliance on the human capacity for recursion, permitting the generation of an infinite range of embedded expressions from a finite set of symbols. We studied the role of syntax in arithmetic thinking, a neglected component of numerical cognition, by examining eye movement sequences during the calculation of arithmetic expressions. Specifically, we investigated whether, similar to language, an expression has to be scanned sequentially while the nested syntactic structure is being computed or, alternatively, whether this structure can be extracted quickly and in parallel. Our data provide evidence for the latter: fixations sequences were stereotypically organized in clusters that reflected a fast identification of syntactic embeddings. A syntactically relevant pattern of eye movement was observed even when syntax was defined by implicit procedural rules (precedence of multiplication over addition) rather than explicit parentheses. While the total number of fixations was determined by syntax, the duration of each fixation varied with the complexity of the arithmetic operation at each step. These findings provide strong evidence for a syntactic organization for arithmetic thinking, paving the way for further comparative analysis of differences and coincidences in the instantiation of recursion in language and mathematics. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
title Eye gaze reveals a fast, parallel extraction of the syntax of arithmetic formulas
title_short Eye gaze reveals a fast, parallel extraction of the syntax of arithmetic formulas
title_full Eye gaze reveals a fast, parallel extraction of the syntax of arithmetic formulas
title_fullStr Eye gaze reveals a fast, parallel extraction of the syntax of arithmetic formulas
title_full_unstemmed Eye gaze reveals a fast, parallel extraction of the syntax of arithmetic formulas
title_sort eye gaze reveals a fast, parallel extraction of the syntax of arithmetic formulas
publishDate 2012
url https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00100277_v125_n3_p475_Schneider
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00100277_v125_n3_p475_Schneider
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