Context-dependent and less-abstract: How object features constrain non-symbolic numerosity recognition

Keywords: cognitive development, congruency effect, numerosity, object features, selective attention, perceptual separability, hierarchical processing Abstract Whether numerical representations are abstract remains debated in cognitive science. We used a hybrid paradigm that combined Garner’s filtering task and a delayed match-to-sample (MTS) procedure to examine the perceptual separability and mnemonic interference between numerosity and object features. In Experiment 1, results across all age groups revealed a significant bidirectional interference; however, the magnitude of Garner interference on numerosity recognition was disproportionately larger than that on object recognition. This asymmetry is consistent with a hierarchical account in which object identity provides a reference for quantity processing. In Experiment 2, we introduced an attention-biased training session to test the plasticity of these representations. While cued attention enabled adults and older children (8-9 years) to selectively encode numerosity and inhibit irrelevant object features, younger children (4-5 years) remained constrained by integrated, feature-bound representations. These findings challenge the prevailing view of automatic numerical abstraction and suggest that non-symbolic numbers are processed in a less-abstract, context-dependent manner. Overall, the findings suggest that abstraction in non-symbolic numerosity is developmentally supported by selective attention and task experience.