This study probed the cognitive mechanisms that underlie order processing for number symbols, specifically the extent to which the direction and format in which number symbols are presented influence the processing of numerical order, as well as the extent to which the relationship between order processing and mathematical achievement is specific to Arabic numerals or generalisable to other notational formats. Seventy adults who were bilingual in English and Chinese completed a Numerical Ordinality Task, using number sequences of various directional conditions (i.e., ascending, descending, mixed) and notational formats (i.e., Arabic numerals, English number words, and Chinese number words). Order processing was found to occur for ascending and descending number sequences (i.e., ordered but not non-ordered trials), with the overall pattern of data supporting the theoretical perspective that the strength and closeness of associations between items in the number sequence could underlie numerical order processing. However, order processing was found to be independent of the notational format in which the stimuli were presented, suggesting that the psychological representations and processes associated with numerical order are abstract across different formats of number symbols. In addition, a relationship between the processing speed for numerical order and mathematical achievement was observed for Arabic numerals and Chinese number words, and to a weaker extent, English number words. Together, our findings have started to uncover the cognitive mechanisms that could underlie order processing for different formats of number symbols, and raise new questions about the generalisability of these findings to other notational formats.

本研究探讨了数字符号顺序处理的认知机制，特别是数字符号呈现的方向和格式对数字顺序处理的影响程度，以及顺序处理与数学关系的关系。成就特定于阿拉伯数字或可推广到其他符号格式。七十名中英双语成年人完成了数字序数任务，使用各种方向条件的数字序列（即升序、降序、混合）和符号格式（即阿拉伯数字、英文数字词和中文数字词）。发现顺序处理发生在升序和降序数字序列（即，有序但非无序试验），数据的整体模式支持理论观点，即数字序列中项目之间关联的强度和紧密度可以作为数字顺序处理的基础。然而，发现顺序处理与呈现刺激的符号格式无关，这表明与数字顺序相关的心理表征和过程在不同格式的数字符号中是抽象的。此外，观察到阿拉伯数字和中文数字词的数字顺序处理速度与数学成绩之间的关系，而在较弱的程度上，英语数字词。总之，我们的发现已经开始揭示可能作为不同格式数字符号顺序处理的基础的认知机制，