Comparative estimation systems perform under severely limited workload capacity

Abstract

Like many species, humans can perform non-verbal estimates of quantity through our innate approximate number system. However, the cognitive mechanisms that govern how we compare these estimates are not well understood. Little research has addressed how the human estimation-system evaluates multiple quantities, and fewer studies have considered the cost to cognitive workload when undertaking such a task. Here, we provide a novel application of Systems Factorial Technology (SFT; Townsend and Nozawa, 1995) to a comparative estimation task. Across a series of four experiments, we assess whether quantities i.e. non-overlapping red and blue discs, are estimated simultaneously (in parallel) or sequ..