Twenty-four or four-and-twenty: Language modulates cross-modal matching for multidigit numbers in children and adults

Does number–word structure have a long-lasting impact on transcoding? Contrary to English, German number words comprise decade–unit inversion (e.g., vierundzwanzig is literally translated as four-and-twenty). To investigate the mental representation of numbers, we tested effect visual and linguistic–morphological characteristics development verbal–visual transcoding. In longitudinal cross-linguistic design, response times (RTs) in number-matching experiment were analyzed Grade 2 (119 German-speaking 179 English-speaking children) 3 (131 160 children). test for long-term effects, same was given 38 42 adults. Participants needed decide whether spoken matched subsequent Arabic number. Systematic variation digits nonmatching distractors allowed comparison three different transcoding accounts (lexicalization, visual, linguistic–morphological). speakers generally slower rejecting inverted than English speakers. Across age groups, more distracted by numbers that included correct unit digit, whereas showed stronger distraction when decade digit included. These RT patterns reflect differences morphology. The individual cost an distractor (inversion effect) predicted arithmetic skills second-graders only. moderate relationship between efficiency identify matching performance could be observed cross-linguistically all groups but not significant Thus, findings provide consistent evidence persistent processing, with particularly pronounced young children.