Avishai Henik

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev | bgu · Department of Psychology

In natural settings, the shape of item arrays (sets), defined by the smallest convex polygon encompassing all objects, predicts the total number of items. Building on our previous work showing array shape's influence on observers’ numerical perception, we introduce a novel generation task. This approach addresses limitations in traditional perceptu...

The numerical Stroop task involves presenting participants with two digits that differ in physical size and numerical value and asking them to report which digit had the larger size or value while ignoring the other dimension. Previous studies show that participants have difficulty ignoring the irrelevant dimension and thus have implications on the...

In the present study, we conducted a Stroop-like task in which the participants were required to decide whether the presented stimulus, which could be either a colored digit or a colored rectangle, consisted of more or less than five colors. Like other Stroop-like tasks, the stimuli could be congruent (the stimulus was a digit that was equal to the...

Pupillometry is frequently used to examine cognitive aspects. While the experimental issues should be addressed during the measuring itself, there are several aspects that should be taken into account during the processing and analysis of the observed data. In the present chapter, we will present the most important aspects that appear during the pr...

The link between various codes of magnitude and their interactions has been studied extensively for many years. In the current study, we examined how the physical and numerical magnitudes of digits are mapped into a combined mental representation. In two psychophysical experiments, participants reported the physically larger digit among two digits....

Introduction Emotion regulation is essential for psychological well-being. One strategy that is commonly researched is reappraisal. Individual differences regarding the tendency to use reappraisal, as well as its implications for affective experience, were extensively studied. In recent years, interest has emerged in the choice to use reappraisal,...

In this paper, we demonstrate the advantages of combining the detailed military history of actual battles with contemporary decision making cognitive theories. Specifically, we analyse two battle decisions made in Israeli-Arab wars, and interpret, through a cognitive lens, some of the decisions that were subsequently deemed "incomprehensible" in th...

Numerals (i.e., symbolic representations of numerical magnitude) are widespread in our environment and are fundamental to many decisions we make. It has been suggested that the processing of numerical magnitude is automatic. Various robust psychological effects, such as the distance effect (Moyer & Landauer, Nature, 215 (5109), 1519-1520, 1967) and...

Narrative comprehension may be considered as one of the most essential aspects of reading books as well as watching movies or TV series. Although narratives can sometimes overlap, it would be inaccurate to claim that the reader’s experience is the same as that of the viewer. Can a similar argument be made with respect to the cognitive processes inv...

Behavioral differences in speed and accuracy between reading familiar and unfamiliar words are well-established in the empirical literature. However, these standard measures of skill proficiency are limited in their ability to capture the moment-to-moment processing involved in visual word recognition. In the present study, the effect of word famil...

In the standard color-word Stroop task, participants are presented with color words and required to respond to their color while ignoring their meaning. Two types of conflict might occur in such experiments: information conflict and task conflict. Information conflict reflects the processing of two contradicting pieces of information and is indicat...

Quantities, amounts, and numbers are dealt with on a regular basis. Their manipulation is necessary for making countless decisions. Research in the area of numerical cognition seeks to delineate how numerical information is represented, manipulated, and utilized. In parallel, research in this area traces the phylogenetic and ontogenetic trajectorie...

In the typical Stroop task, participants are presented with color words written in different ink colors and are asked to respond to their color. It has been suggested that the Stroop task consists of two main conflicts: information conflict (color vs. word naming) and task conflict (respond to color vs. read the word). In the current study, we deve...

We investigated the relationship between convex hull (CH) shape and CH area in numerical cognition using a comparative judgment task. The CH, defined as the smallest convex polygon encompassing all array elements, has two primary attributes: shape (determined by the number of polygon vertices) and area (calculated as the total enclosed space). In t...

We investigated the role and representation of numerical array shape, defined as the number of vertices in the smallest convex hull polygon surrounding all array items. Participants generated non-symbolic numerical arrays by scattering dots. We modeled participants' reaction times (RT) using an ex-Gaussian distribution as a function of the generate...

Non-symbolic numerical stimuli play a crucial role in numerical cognition. Physical properties such as surface area, density, and item circumference are inherently correlated with quantity. The correlations between physical properties and quantity mask the mechanism underlying numerical perception. Non-symbolic stimuli are generated using different...

Background: Recent studies have focused on stimuli characteristics that influence emotion regulation choice. A consistent finding concerns the relation between emotional intensity and the choice between reappraisal and distraction. Moreover, reappraisal affordances were found to influence emotion regulation choice. However, none of the studies asse...

How do people process numerosity? Do they rely on general magnitude processing (e.g. area, density, etc.) 1,2,3 ? Alternatively, do they depend on a designated module underlying numerosity judgements 4,5 ? In a 2016 paper, Cicchini and colleagues 6 show results that strongly support the latter. They demonstrated that humans automatically perceive a...

We investigated the relationship between convex hull (CH) shape and CH area in numerical cognition using a comparative judgment task. The CH, defined as the smallest convex polygon encompassing all array elements, has two primary attributes: shape (determined by the number of polygon vertices) and area (calculated as the total enclosed space). In t...

Previously, we found that taking perspectives of two polar targets of the neuroticism dimension of personality influenced affect evaluations of negative pictures more than positive pictures. As neuroticism is more reactive to negative affects, the current follow-up experiment explores the effect of affective perspective taking (APT) when perspectiv...

Math fluency is the ability to solve arithmetic facts quickly and accurately (i.e., addition and subtraction problems up to 20, and multiplication and division problems from the multiplication table). Curricula in primary school devote a significant period of time for learning and retrieval of arithmetic facts. Recently, a new computerized tool to...

Studies of the Stroop color-word task have provided evidence for the existence of two conflicts: 1) an early task conflict between noting the relevant color and reading afforded by the irrelevant word (or word-like stimuli), and 2) a late information conflict between the information provided by the word and the information provided by the color. Me...

Reaction time (RT) is one of the most frequently used measures to detect cognitive processes. When tasks require more cognitive processes / resources, reaction is slower. However, RTs may provide only restricted information regarding the temporal characteristics of cognitive processes. Pupils respond reflexively to light but also to cognitive activ...

The menstrual cycle is characterized partially by fluctuations of the ovarian hormones estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4), which are implicated in the regulation of cognition. Research on attention in the different stages of the menstrual cycle is eclectic with discrepancies in attention definitions, and the three attentional networks (alerting,...

Narrative comprehension may be considered as one of the most essential aspects of reading books as well as watching movies or TV series. Although narratives can sometimes overlap, it would be inaccurate to claim that the reader's experience is the same as that of the viewer. Can a similar argument be made with respect to the cognitive processes inv...

Math fluency (MF) is the ability to quickly and accurately solve simple math exercises. Proficiency in MF is one of the buildings of arithmetic achievement during school. However, so far only paper and pencil tests have been used to assess MF. In the current study we present the BGU‐MF (Ben‐Gurion University Math Fluency) test, a new computerized t...

The current study examined whether discrete numerical estimation is based on the same cognitive process as estimation of continuous magnitudes such as weight and time. While the verbal estimation of numerical quantities has a contingent unit of measurement (e.g., how many cookies fit in a cookie jar? _X_ cookies), estimation of time and weight does...

Synaesthesia is a condition in which one sensory dimension triggers another sensation. The exact contribution of genetic and environmental factors in synaesthesia is not yet fully understood. Most synaesthesia phenotypes involve associations in which the synaesthetic inducer constitutes some form of linguistic/conceptual information acquired during...

Many researchers, including Clarke and Beck, describe the human numerical system as unitary. We offer an alternative view – the coexistence of several systems; namely, multiple systems (general magnitude, parallel individuation, and symbolic) existing in parallel, ready to be activated depending on the task/need. Based on this alternative view, we...

Various studies have shown that numerical processing is modulated by non-numerical physical properties. One such physical property is the convex hull-the smallest convex polygon surrounding all items in an array. The convex hull is usually discussed only in terms of its area. However, our group has shown that observers use the convex hull shape, as...

It has been suggested that a high tendency to ruminate presents a deficient emotion regulation. Past research found that people with high tendency to ruminate show sustained attention for negative stimuli and increased negative thinking, which may result in intensified experiences of negative emotions. Moreover, high level of rumination was associa...

Various studies have shown that numerical processing is modulated by non-numerical physical properties. One such physical property is the convex hull – the smallest convex polygon surrounding all items in an array. The convex hull is usually discussed only in terms of its area. However, our group has shown that observers use the convex hull shape,...

It has been suggested that the interference in the Stroop task arises due to both information conflict (color vs. word meaning) and task conflict (respond to the color vs. read the word). Interestingly, the task conflict (faster responses in the congruent condition compared to the neutral condition) is influenced by the readability of the stimulus....

Previously we found perspective taking (PT) influenced affect ratings of negative pictures more than neutral pictures. The current follow-up experiments extend that research to explore effects of perspective taking with positive valence pictures. We used stimuli consisting of neutral, happy and sad pictures. Stimuli were presented either mixed with...

Shaded 2D images often create an illusion of depth, due to the shading information and assumptions regarding the location of the light source. Specifically, 2D images that are lighter on top usually appear convex while images that are darker on top, usually appear concave, reflecting the assumption that light is coming from above. The process of re...

The color-word Stroop task produces both information conflict (detection of the ink color vs. word meaning) and task conflict (respond to the ink color vs. read the word). In the present study we measured both reaction time and pupil dilation, and the neutral stimuli in our study were non-readable letter strings as well as meaningless non-readable...

In the first years of life, children face large amounts of stimulation. Their development entails the need to extract meaning from the scenes around them. Paying attention to numerosity and extracting numerosity is difficult because of its association with other features of the stimulation. Focusing on numerosity requires attention, to enable conce...

The endless wealth of information on the internet sharpens the question: how much and what is really important for us to remember? This issue is related to questions regarding the core processes involved in reasoning and thinking. We present mental manipulation (MM) as the core of reasoning and examine the above‐mentioned issue in light of MM's vit...

While the role of cortical regions in cognitive control processes is well accepted, the contribution of subcortical structures (e.g., the striatum), especially to the control of response interference, remains controversial. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the cortical and particularly subcortical neural mechanisms of response inte...

Mood congruity and affective priming have been used to study the effects of affective phenomena on perception. Manipulation of mood is appropriate for investigations of long-term effects while affective priming is limited to short intervals (approximately 300 ms) between a prime and target. However, studying the influence of real-world rapidly chan...

Representations of the fingers are embodied in our cognition and influence performance in enumeration tasks. Among deaf signers, the fingers also serve as a tool for communication in sign language. Previous studies in normal hearing (NH) participants showed effects of embodiment (i.e., embodied numerosity) on tactile enumeration using the fingers o...

Many attempts have been made to classify and evaluate the nature of intelligence in humans and other species (referred to as the ‘g’ factor in the former and the G factor in the latter). The search for this essential structure of mental life has generated various models and definitions, yet open questions remain. Specifically, referring to intellig...

There is growing interest in methods for conditioning automatic inhibition with specific stimuli and the potential clinical implications of these methods. For example, OCD patients were shown to benefit from a computerized training program which aimed to create an association between OCD-related cues and stopping behaviors. In the current study, we...

Past research investigating the role of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) in numerical processes focused mainly on quantity and numerical comparisons as well on single digit arithmetic. The present study investigates the involvement of the IPS in estimating the results of multi-digit multiplication problems. For this purpose, the performance a 24-year...

The Stroop task gives rise to two major conflicts: the task conflict (respond to the color vs. read the word) and the information conflict that can result from the stimulus–response compatibility (SRC; difference between two responses) or from the stimulus–stimulus compatibility (SSC; difference between the two contradictive pieces of information)....

An accumulating body of evidence highlights the contribution of general cognitive processes, such as attention, to language-related skills. Objective The purpose of the present study was to explore how interference control (a subcomponent of selective attention) is affected in developmental dyslexia (DD) by means of control over simple stimulus-re...

A reoccurring question in cognitive science concerns the way the world is represented. Cognitive scientists quantify the contribution of a physical attribute to a sensation and try to characterize the underlying mechanism. In numerical cognition, the contribution of physical properties to quantity perception in comparison tasks was widely demonstra...

Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is characterized by lower numerical and finger-related skills. Studies of enumeration among those DD that suggested core deficiency in pattern recognition, working memory or/and attention were mostly carried out in the visual modality. In our study, we examined visual (dots) enumeration of 1-10 stimuli and tactile (vi...

In a recent study (Gilead et al., 2016), perspective taking (PT) was found to have a significant effect on affect ratings of negative pictures compared to neutrals. The current study explores the question whether PT would be affected equally by distinct negative emotions. We used neutral pictures and pictures classified as provoking sadness or disg...

The menstrual cycle is characterized partially by fluctuations of the ovarian hormones estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4), which are implicated in the regulation of cognition. Research on attention in the different stages of the menstrual cycle is sparse, and the three attentional networks (alerting, orienting and executive) and their interaction...

Mental rotation and visual-spatial perspective taking (VSPT) are two visual-spatial abilities that are highly correlated. Judgment of relative direction (JRD) tasks are commonly used to examine VSPT in conjunction with mental rotation. Moreover, in many studies the task involves switching from an imagined perspective to a sensorimotor perspective a...

It has been suggested that the Stroop task gives rise to two conflicts: the information conflict (color vs. word meaning) and the task conflict (name the color vs. read the word). However, behavioral indications for task conflict (RT congruent condition longer than RT neutral condition) appear under very restricted conditions. We conducted Stroop e...

Enumeration, the ability to report an amount of elements, differs as a function of range. Subitizing (quantities 1–4) is an accurate and quick process with reaction times (RTs) minimally affected by the number of presented elements within its range. In the counting range (range of 5–9 elements), RTs increase linearly. Subitizing was considered to b...

Pupil dilation is an effective indicator of cognitive and affective processes. Although several eyetracker systems on the market can provide effective solutions for pupil dilation measurement, there is a lack of tools for processing and analyzing the data provided by these systems. For this reason, we developed CHAP: open-source software written in...

Research in cognitive psychology has focused mainly on the visual modality as the input interface for mental processes. We suggest that integrating studies from different modalities can aid in resolving theoretical controversies. We demonstrate this in the case of subitizing. Subitizing, the quick and accurate enumeration of small quantities, has b...

Over the past century, several study lines have been developed in order to examine acting and actors from various perspectives, including memory, empathy, and suggestibility. But, further support is still needed to confidently argue that theatre arts can indeed be used by cognitive sciences as a fount of knowledge about inner processes in general a...

Over-learned semantic representations, such as numbers, are strongly associated with space in normal cognition, and in the phenomenon called number-space synaesthesia. In number-space synaesthesia, numbers are linked to spatial locations in an idiosyncratic way. Synaesthetes report numbers as belonging to a specific location, or feelings that a spe...

Previous research on the neural basis of cognitive control processes has mainly focused on cortical areas, while the role of subcortical structures in cognitive control is less clear. Models of basal ganglia function as well as clinical studies in neurodegenerative diseases suggest that the striatum (putamen and caudate nucleus) modulates the inhib...

Enumeration is one of the building blocks of arithmetic and fingers are used as a counting tool in early steps. Subitizing-fast and accurate enumeration of small quantities-has been vastly studied in the visual modality, but less in the tactile modality. We explored tactile enumeration using fingers, and gray matter (GM) changes using voxel-based m...

Emotional picture databases are commonly used in emotion research. The databases were first based on ratings of emotional dimensions, and the interest in studying discrete emotions led to the categorization of subsets from these databases to emotional categories. However, to-date, studies that categorized affective pictures used confidence interval...

Physical properties such as area and convex hull (the smallest polygon containing all objects) have been suggested to be the building blocks of numerical cognition 1. Many studies measured the effect of physical properties on numerical comparison tasks 2,3 , but it was not generalized to other numerical tasks. Moreover, no cognitive mechanism under...

Synesthesia is a condition that involves atypical binding between two seemingly independent sensory modalities. The neural origin of this condition is controversial: While some claim that synesthesia originates from stable anatomical irregularities, others suggest that its occurrence relies on functional properties of brain dynamics. In the current...

At the early stages of concept acquisition, physical properties are inseparable of the concepts they form. With development, the concept seems to depart from the physical entities from which it emerged and seems to exist beyond its physical attributes. Numerosity is an abstract concept; however, physical properties such as diameter, area, and densi...

Environmental cues can influence basic perceptual and attentional processes especially in an emotional context. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the effect of a non-emotional common environmental cue―a traffic light—on a higher cognitive operation―inhibition. In two experiments, we administered a novel version of the stop-signal task,...

Subitizing is a fast and accurate process of enumerating small quantities. Whether subitizing carried out in the tactile modality is under debate. We previously found a moderately increasing RT slope from one to four stimuli and a large decrease in RT for five stimuli when using one hand. Yet, a high error rate was observed, making it difficult to...

Anorexia nervosa (AN) usually develops during adolescence when considerable structural and functional brain changes are taking place. Neurocognitive inefficiencies have been consistently found in adults with enduring AN and were suggested to play a role in maintaining the disorder. However, such findings are inconsistent in children and adolescents...

Objective: People suffering from developmental dyscalculia (DD) are known to have impairment in numerical abilities and have been found to have weaker processing of countable magnitudes. However, not much research was done on their abilities to process noncountable magnitudes. An example of noncountable magnitude is conceptual size (e.g., mouse is...

Pupillometry (or the measurement of pupil size) is commonly used as an index of cognitive load and arousal. Pupil size data are recorded using eyetracking devices that provide an output containing pupil size at various points in time. During blinks the eyetracking device loses track of the pupil, resulting in missing values in the output file. The...

The Stroop task is a central experimental paradigm used to probe cognitive control by measuring the ability of participants to selectively attend to task-relevant information and inhibit automatic task-irrelevant responses. Research has revealed variability in both experimental manipulations and individual differences. Here, we focus on a particula...

Background/Objective Previous research on the neural basis of cognitive control processes has mainly focused on cortical areas, while the role of subcortical structures in cognitive control is less clear. Models of basal ganglia function as well as clinical studies in neurodegenerative diseases suggest that the striatum (putamen and nucleus caudatu...