Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37532765›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2023

The symmetry-induced numerosity illusion depends on visual attention.

Paula A Maldonado Moscoso, Giuseppe Maduli, Giovanni Anobile, Roberto Arrighi, Elisa Castaldi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. "Groupitizing": A Visuo-Spatial and Arithmetic Phenomenon.Open mind : discoveries in cognitive science · 2025
    Article
  4. Feature-selective adaptation of numerosity perception.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Paula A Maldonado MoscosoDepartment of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Giuseppe MaduliDepartment of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Giovanni AnobileDepartment of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Roberto ArrighiDepartment of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Elisa CastaldiDepartment of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. elisa.castaldi@unifi.it.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Symmetry is an important and strong cue we rely on to organize the visual world. Although it is at the basis of objects segmentation in a visual scene, it can sometimes bias our perception. When asked to discriminate numerical quantities between symmetric and asymmetric arrays, individuals tend to underestimate the number of items in the symmetric stimuli. The reason for this underestimation is currently unknown. In this study we investigated whether the symmetry-induced numerosity underestimation depends on perceptual grouping mechanisms by depriving attentional resources. Twenty-six adults judged the numerosity of dot arrays arranged symmetrically or randomly, while ignoring a visual distractor (single task) or while simultaneously judging its color and orientation (dual-task). Diverting attention to the concurrent color-orientation conjunction task halved the symmetry-induced numerosity underestimation. Taken together these results showed that the bias in numerosity perception of symmetric arrays depends-at least partially-on attentional resources and suggested that it might originate from the recruitment of attentional dependent incremental grouping mechanisms.

Indexed as

IllusionsAdultHumansPattern Recognition, VisualVisual Perception

Identifiers

PMID37532765
PMCPMC10397255

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.