Developing number–space associations: SNARC effects using a color discrimination task in 5-year-olds

Human adults’ numerical representation is spatially oriented; consequently,
participants are faster to respond to small/large numerals
with their left/right hand, respectively, when doing a binary
classification judgment on numbers, known as the SNARC (spatial–
numerical association of response codes) effect. Studies on
the emergence and development of the SNARC effect remain
scarce. The current study introduces an innovative new paradigm
based on a simple color judgment of Arabic digits. Using this task,
we found a SNARC effect in children as young as 5.5 years. In contrast,
when preschool children needed to perform a magnitude
judgment task necessitating exact number knowledge, the SNARC
effect started to emerge only at 5.8 years. Moreover, the emergence
of a magnitude SNARC but not a color SNARC was linked to proficiency
with Arabic digits. Our results suggest that access to a spatially
oriented approximate magnitude representation from
symbolic digits emerges early in ontogenetic development. Exact
magnitude judgments, on the other hand, rely on experience with
Arabic digits and, thus, necessitate formal or informal schooling to
give access to a spatially oriented numerical representation.