Drawing the line – a cognitive or visual system for number extraction ? Matthias

One of the most influencing theories in numerical cognition proposes a specialized cognitive system for extracting number out of visual displays. This system has been suggested to map number onto a mental representation of space, the mental number line. While initially number extraction was said to occur independent of visual features, recent evidences challenge this view. After introducing the basics of numerical cognition, the current article will briefly outline this ongoing dispute based on literature coming from the line bisection task. Finally, directions for future research are proposed.