Explicit versus implicit processing of directional arrows divergently modulates estimation performance
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The present study investigated how the explicit and implicit processing of arrow direction influences estimation performance across two experiments. Participants first performed either an arrow direction judgment task (Experiment 1; explicit processing) or a color discrimination task (Experiment 2; implicit processing). They then completed a two-digit multiplication estimation (TME) task, employing either a round-down (RD; e.g., approximating 32 × 64 as 30 × 60 = 1800) or round-up (RU; e.g., approximating 36 × 67 as 40 × 70 = 2800) strategy. The key findings were threefold. Firstly, across both experiments, compared with trials in which the answer positions were congruent between the direction/color processing task and the TME task (congruent condition), participants were more likely to use the matched estimation strategy when the positions were incongruent (incongruent condition). Second, also across experiments, compared with congruent condition, participants achieved higher accuracy (ACC) and shorter reaction time (RT) on the TME task under incongruent condition. Furthermore, the RU strategy was associated with longer RT than the RD strategy. Estimation ACC was higher under implicit processing condition (Experiment 2) than under explicit processing condition (Experiment 1). Third, a critical three-way interaction was observed in Experiment 1: for the RD strategy, RTs were shorter when arrows pointed right under incongruent (vs. congruent) conditions; conversely, for the RU strategy, RTs were shorter when arrows pointed left under incongruent (vs. congruent) conditions. This interaction was absent in Experiment 2. These results demonstrated that incongruent condition can enhance estimation performance by promoting adaptive strategy selection, supporting the conflict monitoring theory. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Source: Acta Psychologica
Authors: Chuanlin Zhu, Jiayi Pan, Jincheng Hu
Institution: Yangzhou University
Language: English
Subfield: Statistics and Probability
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,670
Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Humanities and Social Sciences Youth Foundation, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Major Project of Philosophy and Social Science Research in Colleges and Universities of Jiangsu Province
Awards: G1718909530, G7702970417, G7715249180
OpenAlex ID: W7140166699