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Untangling the Visual Coherence Effect of Numerosity Perception throughout Development with Drift Diffusion Model

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Title: Untangling the Visual Coherence Effect of Numerosity Perception throughout Development with Drift Diffusion Model
Language: English
Authors: Chuyan Qu (ORCID 0000-0002-1718-4884), Feng Sheng (ORCID 0000-0002-3200-874X), Ruining Wang, Elizabeth M. Brannon
Source: Journal of Numerical Cognition. Article e17621 2025 11.
Availability: Leibniz Institute for Psychology. Universitatsring 15, Trier, 54296, Germany. e-mail: support@psychopen.eu; Web site: https://jnc.psychopen.eu
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 17
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Number Concepts, Mathematical Models, Decision Making, Visual Stimuli, Misconceptions, Cognitive Processes, Mathematics Skills, Discrimination Learning, Computation
ISSN: 2363-8761
Abstract: Understanding how non-numerical visual features systematically distort numerosity perception holds promise for unveiling the processes that give rise to our visual number sense. Recent studies show that increasing visual coherence systematically increases perceived numerosity, with this effect strengthening over development (DeWind et al., 2020; Qu, Bonner, et al., 2024; Qu et al., 2022). Here, we investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying the coherence illusion from a view of perceptual decision processes. Specifically, we applied a drift diffusion model (DDM) to a previously described dataset from participants aged 5-30 tested in an ordinal numerical comparison task with color entropy systematically manipulated (Qu et al., 2022). By jointly modeling choice data and response times, we decomposed numerical discrimination performance into distinct decision components: the speed of numerical evidence accumulation (drift rate), the amount of evidence required for a decision (boundary separation), and the response bias reflecting a prior tendency of selecting one side over the other. We found that color coherence affected only the drift rate but not response bias or boundary separation, demonstrating that color coherence distorts numerical calculation through biased accumulation of evidence of quantity. Moreover, the impact of coherence on the drift rate coefficient increased with age as quantitative information is accumulated more efficiently over development. Our results offer a framework for understanding how numerical illusions arise from perceptual decision-making dynamics.
Abstractor: As Provided
Notes: https://osf.io/nxcuy
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1492610
Database: ERIC
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chuyan+Qu%22">Chuyan Qu</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1718-4884">0000-0002-1718-4884</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Feng+Sheng%22">Feng Sheng</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3200-874X">0000-0002-3200-874X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ruining+Wang%22">Ruining Wang</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Elizabeth+M%2E+Brannon%22">Elizabeth M. Brannon</searchLink>
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  Data: Leibniz Institute for Psychology. Universitatsring 15, Trier, 54296, Germany. e-mail: support@psychopen.eu; Web site: https://jnc.psychopen.eu
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  Data: Understanding how non-numerical visual features systematically distort numerosity perception holds promise for unveiling the processes that give rise to our visual number sense. Recent studies show that increasing visual coherence systematically increases perceived numerosity, with this effect strengthening over development (DeWind et al., 2020; Qu, Bonner, et al., 2024; Qu et al., 2022). Here, we investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying the coherence illusion from a view of perceptual decision processes. Specifically, we applied a drift diffusion model (DDM) to a previously described dataset from participants aged 5-30 tested in an ordinal numerical comparison task with color entropy systematically manipulated (Qu et al., 2022). By jointly modeling choice data and response times, we decomposed numerical discrimination performance into distinct decision components: the speed of numerical evidence accumulation (drift rate), the amount of evidence required for a decision (boundary separation), and the response bias reflecting a prior tendency of selecting one side over the other. We found that color coherence affected only the drift rate but not response bias or boundary separation, demonstrating that color coherence distorts numerical calculation through biased accumulation of evidence of quantity. Moreover, the impact of coherence on the drift rate coefficient increased with age as quantitative information is accumulated more efficiently over development. Our results offer a framework for understanding how numerical illusions arise from perceptual decision-making dynamics.
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  Data: https://osf.io/nxcuy
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      – Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 17
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Number Concepts
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mathematical Models
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      – SubjectFull: Decision Making
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      – SubjectFull: Visual Stimuli
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      – SubjectFull: Misconceptions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cognitive Processes
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      – SubjectFull: Mathematics Skills
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      – SubjectFull: Discrimination Learning
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      – SubjectFull: Computation
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      – TitleFull: Untangling the Visual Coherence Effect of Numerosity Perception throughout Development with Drift Diffusion Model
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            NameFull: Chuyan Qu
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            NameFull: Feng Sheng
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            NameFull: Ruining Wang
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              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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