Estimation patterns in the number line task are usually interpreted to indicate the (logarithmic or linear) nature of the underlying mental number line. However, indicators of the to-be-achieved linear representation may also be confounded with task requirements or strategies to achieve optimal task performance. In this study, we dissociated correct task performance from indices of a linear representation. Therefore, we designed an experiment in which adults and first graders had to learn number-to-space mappings of nonlinear functions. For adults, we found better fits of the corresponding functions than a linear function after just a few minutes of training. For most first graders, estimation patterns were not fitted better by a logarithmic function when they had to learn a logarithmic layout. Thus, estimation patterns produced in the number line estimation task do not necessarily allow for valid inferences on the underlying representation of number magnitude.
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