Numbers Demand More Focus Than Words in Reading Tasks

A recent exploration into the intricate world of reading revealed a fascinating cognitive distinction between how adults process numerical and alphabetical content.

Conducted in Switzerland and published in the esteemed journal Acta Psychologica, the study unveiled a striking tendency: people fixate on short numbers 2.5 times more frequently than on short words.

This fixation disparity amplifies for longer sequences, with eye movements directed toward long numbers soaring to seven times more than for their lengthy word counterparts.

Understanding the Cognitive Differences

Reading is not merely a foundational skill; it is a vital element in navigating the complexities of everyday life, allowing us to comprehend not only language but also numerical information.

This competency plays a crucial role, particularly in academic assessments designed to evaluate mathematical understanding.

However, the cognitive mechanisms underpinning the reading of numbers markedly differ from those employed when deciphering words.

While reading predominantly engages language processing centers in the brain—largely situated in the left hemisphere—decoding familiar words typically involves phonetic and semantic cues.

In contrast, reading numbers calls upon additional cognitive resources tied to numerical understanding and quantity assessment. Numbers exist as symbols that denote values, separate from phonetics, prompting readers to navigate relationships and magnitudes.

This unique challenge magnifies the cognitive toll; as numerical sequences grow longer and more complex, they demand increased working memory and focus.

Study Methodology and Findings

Led by Anne-Françoise de Chambrier at the University of Lausanne, the study scrutinized the reading behaviors of 36 students studying psychology, with a predominance of women and an average age of 21.

With all participants possessing normal or corrected vision, their participation came with course credit and a modest payment.

Throughout a focused 10-minute session, they engaged with a mix of textual items, reading 12 short numbers (four digits), 12 longer numbers (ranging from eight to eleven digits), as well as variations presented without separators.

Additionally, they encountered short and long words alongside pseudowords—letter combinations that conform to phonetic rules but lack semantic value. The results were striking: the accuracy rate for reading both numbers and words remained impressively high at 99%, revealing only 35 misreads from 3,456 instances, with errors most frequently occurring among long numbers devoid of separators.

The data illustrated a vivid contrast.

Participants exhibited 2.5 times more fixations on short numbers than on short words, and for long numbers, the disparity expanded to seven times more fixations in comparison to long words.

Furthermore, rapid eye movements, or saccades, occurred three times more often for short numbers than for short words, jumping to nine times more frequently for long numbers compared to their lengthy word counterparts. While the duration of fixations and saccadic distances held similar lengths for short words and numbers, reading long numbers demanded more time, with fixations lasting an average of 300 milliseconds compared to 250 milliseconds for long words.

The amplitude of saccades, indicative of the extent of eye movements, also showcased variations.

This trend underscores that engaging with lengthy Arabic numerals requires substantial cognitive effort.

Even adept readers find the process of translating these symbols into verbal form to be anything but automatic.

Conclusions and Future Research

Despite its illuminating findings, one must consider the study’s limitations.

The sample size was relatively small and consisted exclusively of psychology students, suggesting that further research with a broader demographic could yield different insights. This investigation, examining the complexities of our reading practices, serves as a compelling reminder that the act of reading extends far beyond simple recognition—particularly when it involves the nuanced realm of numbers.

Study Details:

• Title: Reading numbers is harder than reading words: An eye-tracking study
• Authors: Anne-Françoise de Chambrier, Marco Pedrotti, Paolo Ruggeri, Jasinta Dewi, Myrto Atzemian, Catherine Thevenot, Catherine Martinet, Philippe Terrier
• Journal: Acta Psychologica
• Publication Date: 2023
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103942