Using Luce’s choice model, we removed the undesired effect of response bias and conducted multidimensional scaling analyses. We used an identification paradigm to investigate the mental representations of familiar and unfamiliar numerals (4 sets: Arabic, Chinese, Thai, and non-symbolic dots) in a first-language English and a first-language Chinese speaking cohort. Mistaking one numeral for another is almost an inevitability, and the cost of these confusions could be insignificant or hugely expensive! Numeral confusions can be explained by distances between our mental representations - how we internally represent the external world - resulting from their perceived similarities yet, how expertise interacts with the mental space of numerals is largely unexplored. Numerals are part of our everyday lives and are regularly viewed in less-than ideal conditions.
