The impact of visuo-spatial number forms on simple arithmetic

Number forms, conscious visuo-spatial representations of the sequence of numbers, are found in around 12% of the population. However, their contribution to numerical cognition is not well understood. In this study we contrast the speeded performance of individuals with number forms versus controls on single digit multiplication, subtraction and addition. Previous research has suggested that multiplication may rely more on retrieval of verbal facts whereas subtraction relies more on online calculation using a putatively spatial ‘mental number line’. If people with number forms rely more heavily on visual-spatial strategies than verbal ones then we hypothesised that multiplication may be disproportionately affected by this strategy relative to subtraction, and this was found.