1
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Roesch S, Moeller K, Bahnmueller J. Finger counting, finger number gesturing, and basic numerical skills: A cross-sectional study in 3- to 5-year-olds. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 242:105892. [PMID: 38492555 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that using finger-based strategies is beneficial for the acquisition of basic numerical skills. There are basically two finger-based strategies to be distinguished: (a) finger counting (i.e., extending single fingers successively) and (b) finger number gesturing (i.e., extending fingers simultaneously to represent magnitudes). In this study, we investigated both spontaneous and prompted finger counting and finger number gesturing as well as their contribution to basic numerical skills in 3- to 5-year-olds (N = 156). Results revealed that only 6% of children spontaneously used their fingers for counting when asked to name a specific number of animals, whereas 59% applied finger number gesturing to show their age. This indicates that the spontaneous use of finger-based strategies depends heavily on the specific context. Moreover, children performed significantly better in prompted finger counting than in finger number gesturing, suggesting that both strategies build on each other. Finally, both prompted finger counting and finger number gesturing significantly and individually predicted counting, cardinal number knowledge, and basic arithmetic. These results indicate that finger counting and finger number gesturing follow and positively relate to numerical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Roesch
- Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, 72072 Tübingen, Germany; LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, University of Tübingen, 72072 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Korbinian Moeller
- LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, University of Tübingen, 72072 Tübingen, Germany; Centre for Mathematical Cognition, School of Science, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK; Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Julia Bahnmueller
- Centre for Mathematical Cognition, School of Science, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK
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2
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Marlair C, Guillon A, Vynckier M, Crollen V. Enhancing mathematics learning through finger-counting: A study investigating tactile strategies in 2 visually impaired cases. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. CHILD 2024:1-13. [PMID: 38569167 DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2024.2333832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Finger-counting plays a crucial role in grounding and establishing mathematics, one of the most abstract domains of human cognition. While the combination of visual and proprioceptive information enables the coordination of finger movements, it was recently suggested that the emergence of finger-counting primarily relies on visual cues. In this study, we aimed to directly test this assumption by examining whether explicit finger-counting training (through tactile stimulation) may assist visually impaired children in overcoming their difficulties in learning mathematics. Two visually impaired participants (2 boys of 8.5 and 7.5 years) were therefore trained to use their fingers to calculate. Their pre- and post-training performance were compared to two control groups of sighted children who underwent either the same finger counting training (8 boys, 10 girls, Mage = 5.9 years; 10 kindergarteners and eight 1st graders) or another control vocabulary training (10 boys, 8 girls, Mage = 5.9 years; 11 kindergarteners and seven 1st graders). Results demonstrated that sighted children's arithmetic performance improved much more after the finger training than after the vocabulary training. Importantly, the positive impact of the finger training was also observed in both visually impaired participants (for addition and subtraction in one child; only for addition in the other child). These results are discussed in relation to the sensory compensation hypothesis and emphasize the importance of early and appropriate instruction of finger-based representations in both sighted and visually impaired children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathy Marlair
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute (IPSY), Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Aude Guillon
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute (IPSY), Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Menik Vynckier
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute (IPSY), Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Virginie Crollen
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute (IPSY), Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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3
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Cipora K, Gashaj V, Gridley AS, Soltanlou M, Nuerk HC. Cultural similarities and specificities of finger counting and montring: Evidence from Amazon Tsimane' people. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2023; 239:104009. [PMID: 37586227 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerical cognition might be embodied, that is, grounded in bodily actions. This claim is supported by the observation that, potentially due to our shared biology, finger counting is prevalent among a variety of cultures. Differences in finger counting are apparent even within Western cultures. Relatively few indigenous cultures have been systematically analyzed in terms of traditional finger counting and montring (i.e., communicating numbers with fingers) routines. Even fewer studies used the same protocols across cultures, allowing for a systematic comparison of indigenous and Western finger counting routines. We analyze the finger counting and montring routines of Tsimane' (N = 121), an indigenous people living in the Bolivian Amazon rainforest, depending on handedness, education level, and exposure to mainstream, industrialized Bolivian culture. Tsimane' routines are compared with those of German and British participants. Tsimane' reveal a greater variation in finger counting and montring routines, which seems to be modified by their education level. We outline a framework on how different factors such as handedness and reading direction might affect cross-cultural and within-cultural variation in finger counting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Cipora
- Centre for Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Venera Gashaj
- Centre for Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | | | - Mojtaba Soltanlou
- Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK; Department of Childhood Education, Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Hans-Christoph Nuerk
- Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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4
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Sabaghypour S, Moghaddam HS, Farkhondeh Tale Navi F, Nazari MA, Soltanlou M. Do numbers make us handy? Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence for number-hand congruency effect. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2023; 233:103841. [PMID: 36709688 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Finger counting facilitates numerical representations and mathematical processing. The current study investigated the association between finger counting habits and number processing by employing behavioral and electrophysiological measures. We explored whether small and large numerical primes influence the recognition of embodied target hand stimuli. Twenty-four right-handed participants that were grouped into right-starters (n = 13) and left-starters (n = 11) for finger counting performed a hand recognition task that consisted of numerical magnitudes as prime and hand recognition as targets. Based on the finger counting habits, congruent (i.e., left-starters: small number/left hand or large number/right hand; right-starters: small number/right hand or large number/left hand) and incongruent (i.e., left-starters: large number/left hand or small number/right hand; right-starters: large number/right hand or small number/left hand) conditions were presented to the participants. The participants were required to indicate whether the targets were left or right hand by simply pressing the left or the right key, respectively. Results indicated faster reaction times (RTs) for congruent as opposed to incongruent trials for all participants. The mean amplitude of the centro-parietal P300 component was significantly increased for the incongruent compared to congruent condition, indicating increased mental effort. Also, analysis of the latency of the P300 in terms of congruency effect in all participants revealed significant results. These combined results provide behavioral and electrophysiological evidence indicating the embodied nature of numbers. The results are interpreted in light of the general findings related to the P300 component. This research supports the association of number-hand representations and corroborates the idea of embodied numerosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saied Sabaghypour
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Hassan Sabouri Moghaddam
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Farhad Farkhondeh Tale Navi
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Nazari
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Soltanlou
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran; School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
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5
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de Carvalho Souza AM, Barrocas R, Fischer MH, Arnaud E, Moeller K, Rennó-Costa C. Combining virtual reality and tactile stimulation to investigate embodied finger-based numerical representations. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1119561. [PMID: 37179854 PMCID: PMC10174462 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1119561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Finger-based representation of numbers is a high-level cognitive strategy to assist numerical and arithmetic processing in children and adults. It is unclear whether this paradigm builds on simple perceptual features or comprises several attributes through embodiment. Here we describe the development and initial testing of an experimental setup to study embodiment during a finger-based numerical task using Virtual Reality (VR) and a low-cost tactile stimulator that is easy to build. Using VR allows us to create new ways to study finger-based numerical representation using a virtual hand that can be manipulated in ways our hand cannot, such as decoupling tactile and visual stimuli. The goal is to present a new methodology that can allow researchers to study embodiment through this new approach, maybe shedding new light on the cognitive strategy behind the finger-based representation of numbers. In this case, a critical methodological requirement is delivering precisely targeted sensory stimuli to specific effectors while simultaneously recording their behavior and engaging the participant in a simulated experience. We tested the device's capability by stimulating users in different experimental configurations. Results indicate that our device delivers reliable tactile stimulation to all fingers of a participant's hand without losing motion tracking quality during an ongoing task. This is reflected by an accuracy of over 95% in participants detecting stimulation of a single finger or multiple fingers in sequential stimulation as indicated by experiments with sixteen participants. We discuss possible application scenarios, explain how to apply our methodology to study the embodiment of finger-based numerical representations and other high-level cognitive functions, and discuss potential further developments of the device based on the data obtained in our testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyson Matheus de Carvalho Souza
- Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Martin H. Fischer
- Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- *Correspondence: Martin H. Fischer,
| | - Emanuel Arnaud
- Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Korbinian Moeller
- Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Mathematical Cognition, School of Science, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
- LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, University of Tuebingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - César Rennó-Costa
- Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
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6
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No fingers, no SNARC? Neither the finger counting starting hand, nor its stability robustly affect the SNARC effect. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2022; 230:103765. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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7
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Canonical finger-numeral configurations facilitate the processing of Arabic numerals in adults: An Event-Related Potential study. Neuropsychologia 2022; 170:108214. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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8
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Decarli G, Veggiotti L, de Hevia MD. The link between number and action in human infants. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3371. [PMID: 35233030 PMCID: PMC8888547 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07389-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans' inborn ability to represent and manipulate numerical quantities is supported by the parietal cortex, which is also involved in a variety of spatial and motor abilities. While the behavioral links between numerical and spatial information have been extensively studied, little is known about the connection between number and action. Some studies in adults have shown a series of interference effects when simultaneously processing numerical and action information. We investigated the origins of this link by testing forty infants (7- to 9-month-old) in one of two experimental conditions: one group was habituated to congruent number-hand pairings, where the larger the number, the more open the hand-shape associated; the second group was habituated to incongruent number-hand pairings, where the larger the number, the more close the hand-shape associated. In test trials, both groups of infants were presented with congruent and incongruent pairings. We found that only infants habituated to congruency showed a significantly higher looking time to the test trial depicting incongruent pairings. These findings show for the first time that infants spontaneously associate magnitude-related changes across the dimensions of number and action-related information, thus offering support to the existence of an early, preverbal number-action link in the human mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisella Decarli
- Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002, CNRS, 75006, Paris, France.,Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center-CNRS UMR 8002, CNRS, Université de Paris, 45 Rue des Saints Pères, 75270, Paris Cedex 06, France
| | - Ludovica Veggiotti
- Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002, CNRS, 75006, Paris, France.,Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center-CNRS UMR 8002, CNRS, Université de Paris, 45 Rue des Saints Pères, 75270, Paris Cedex 06, France
| | - Maria Dolores de Hevia
- Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002, CNRS, 75006, Paris, France. .,Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center-CNRS UMR 8002, CNRS, Université de Paris, 45 Rue des Saints Pères, 75270, Paris Cedex 06, France.
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9
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Ranzini M, Scarpazza C, Radua J, Cutini S, Semenza C, Zorzi M. A common neural substrate for number comparison, hand reaching and grasping: a SDM-PSI meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Cortex 2022; 148:31-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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10
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Electrophysiological evidence for internalized representations of canonical finger-number gestures and their facilitating effects on adults' math verification performance. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11776. [PMID: 34083708 PMCID: PMC8175394 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91303-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Fingers facilitate number learning and arithmetic processing in early childhood. The current study investigated whether images of early-learned, culturally-typical (canonical), finger montring patterns presenting smaller (2,3,4) or larger (7,8,9) quantities still facilitate adults' performance and neural processing in a math verification task. Twenty-eight adults verified solutions to simple addition problems that were shown in the form of canonical or non-canonical finger-number montring patterns while measuring Event Related Potentials (ERPs). Results showed more accurate and faster sum verification when sum solutions were shown by canonical (versus non-canonical) finger patterns. Canonical finger montring patterns 2-4 led to faster responses independent of whether they presented correct or incorrect sum solutions and elicited an enhanced early right-parietal P2p response, whereas canonical configurations 7-9 only facilitated performance in correct sum solution trials without evoking P2p effects. The later central-parietal P3 was enhanced to all canonical finger patterns irrespective of numerical range. These combined results provide behavioral and brain evidence for canonical cardinal finger patterns still having facilitating effects on adults' number processing. They further suggest that finger montring configurations of numbers 2-4 have stronger internalized associations with other magnitude representations, possibly established through their mediating role in the developmental phase in which children acquire the numerical meaning of the first four number symbols.
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11
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Canonical representations of fingers and dots trigger an automatic activation of number semantics: an EEG study on 10-year-old children. Neuropsychologia 2021; 157:107874. [PMID: 33930386 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Over the course of development, children must learn to map a non-symbolic representation of magnitude to a more precise symbolic system. There is solid evidence that finger and dot representations can facilitate or even predict the acquisition of this mapping skill. While several behavioral studies demonstrated that canonical representations of fingers and dots automatically activate number semantics, no study so far has investigated their cerebral basis. To examine these questions, 10-year-old children were presented a behavioral naming task and a Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation EEG paradigm. In the behavioral task, children had to name as fast and as accurately as possible the numbers of dots and fingers presented in canonical and non-canonical configurations. In the EEG experiment, one category of stimuli (e.g., canonical representation of fingers or dots) was periodically inserted (1/5) in streams of another category (e.g., non-canonical representation of fingers or dots) presented at a fast rate (4 Hz). Results demonstrated an automatic access to number semantics and bilateral categorical responses at 4 Hz/5 for canonical representations of fingers and dots. Some differences between finger and dot configuration's processing were nevertheless observed and are discussed in light of an effortful-automatic continuum hypothesis.
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12
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Miklashevsky A, Lindemann O, Fischer MH. The Force of Numbers: Investigating Manual Signatures of Embodied Number Processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 14:590508. [PMID: 33505256 PMCID: PMC7829181 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.590508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The study has two objectives: (1) to introduce grip force recording as a new technique for studying embodied numerical processing; and (2) to demonstrate how three competing accounts of numerical magnitude representation can be tested by using this new technique: the Mental Number Line (MNL), A Theory of Magnitude (ATOM) and Embodied Cognition (finger counting-based) account. While 26 healthy adults processed visually presented single digits in a go/no-go n-back paradigm, their passive holding forces for two small sensors were recorded in both hands. Spontaneous and unconscious grip force changes related to number magnitude occurred in the left hand already 100–140 ms after stimulus presentation and continued systematically. Our results support a two-step model of number processing where an initial stage is related to the automatic activation of all stimulus properties whereas a later stage consists of deeper conscious processing of the stimulus. This interpretation generalizes previous work with linguistic stimuli and elaborates the timeline of embodied cognition. We hope that the use of grip force recording will advance the field of numerical cognition research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Miklashevsky
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Oliver Lindemann
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Martin H Fischer
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
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13
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Vanstavel S, Coello Y, Mejias S. Processing of numerical representation of fingers depends on their location in space. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2020; 85:2566-2577. [PMID: 33125507 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01436-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Fingers can express quantities and thus contribute to the acquisition and manipulation of numbers as well as the development of arithmetical skills. As embodied entities, the processing of finger numerical configurations should, therefore, be facilitated when they match shared cultural representations and are presented close to the body. To investigate these issues, the present study investigated whether canonical finger configurations are processed faster than noncanonical configurations or spatially matched dot configurations, taking into account their location in the peripersonal or the extrapersonal space. Analysis of verbal responses to the enumeration of small and large numerosities showed that participants (N = 30) processed small numerosities faster than large ones and dots faster than finger configurations despite visuo-spatial matching. Canonical configurations were also processed faster than noncanonical configurations but for finger numerical stimuli only. Furthermore, the difference in response time between dots and fingers processing was greater when the stimuli were located in the peripersonal space than in the extrapersonal space. As a whole, the data suggest that, due to their motor nature, finger numerical configurations are not processed as simple visual stimuli but in relation to corporal and cultural counting habits, in agreement with the embodied framework of numerical cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Vanstavel
- University of Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193-SCALab-Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - Yann Coello
- University of Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193-SCALab-Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - Sandrine Mejias
- University of Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193-SCALab-Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, F-59000, Lille, France.
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14
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Prete G, Tommasi L. Exploring the interactions among SNARC effect, finger counting direction and embodied cognition. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9155. [PMID: 32435547 PMCID: PMC7227642 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The Spatial Numerical Association of Response Code (SNARC) is the preferential association between smaller/larger magnitudes and left/right side, respectively. Some evidence suggest a link between SNARC and a left-to-right finger counting habit. We asked 268 participants to show how they use the hands to count from 1 to 10. By means of this ecological task, 80% of the sample use first the right hand (to count from 1 to 5) and the majority of them use a palm-up posture. In Experiment 2 (N = 46) right-starters were asked to categorize 1-to-5 magnitudes as even or odd, using the left and right hand. Stimuli were presented both as Arabic numbers and by means of left and right hand photographs in palm-up and palm-down posture. Results confirmed the expected SNARC effect in the Arabic condition. With hand images we found that right hand responses were better for larger than for smaller magnitudes (SNARC, mainly for left hand palm-up stimuli), showing that the SNARC can be generalized to different codes. Finally, the interactions between magnitudes and left/right hand images in palm-up and palm-down posture suggest that embodied cognition can influence numerical processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Prete
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Luca Tommasi
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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15
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Finger Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) predicts the development of numerical representations better than finger gnosis. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2019.100842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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16
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Barrocas R, Roesch S, Dresen V, Moeller K, Pixner S. Embodied numerical representations and their association with multi-digit arithmetic performance. Cogn Process 2019; 21:95-103. [PMID: 31701377 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-019-00940-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
There is a well-documented association between fingers and numbers, which was claimed to stem from the use of finger-based strategies for counting and calculating during childhood. Recently, it has been argued that this may lead to a concomitant activation of finger-based alongside other numerical representations when encountering single-digit numbers. Indeed, the occurrence of such a co-activation is supported by observed influences of finger counting habits on different numerical tasks, including single-digit arithmetic problem solving. In this study, we pursued the question whether the influence of finger-based representations on arithmetic generalizes to multi-digit arithmetic by investigating the association between the recognition of canonical and non-canonical finger patterns and multi-digit arithmetic in adults. Results indicated that canonical finger-based numerical representations were significantly associated with addition performance only, whereas non-canonical finger-based representations were associated significantly with all four arithmetic operations. We argue that, because non-canonical patterns do not benefit from the iconicity of canonical patterns, their magnitude may need to be constructed through magnitude manipulation which may in turn increase associations with mental arithmetic. In sum, our findings provide converging evidence for a functional association between finger-based representations and arithmetic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Verena Dresen
- Institute of Psychology, UMIT - Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria
| | - Korbinian Moeller
- Leibniz-Institut fuer Wissensmedien, Tübingen, Germany.,LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Silvia Pixner
- Institute of Psychology, UMIT - Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria
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17
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Finger-counting observation interferes with number processing. Neuropsychologia 2019; 131:275-284. [PMID: 31185228 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Aim of this study was to investigate the association between finger and number representation in a task in which students had to perform arithmetic calculations and decide whether the provided solution was correct or incorrect, while a pair of task-irrelevant hands gesturally expressed the same or a different number. In particular we aimed at investigating whether irrelevant finger-counting might interfere with arithmetic computing, thus showing the existence of a strict neural association between the two processes. 20 volunteers took part to the investigation and EEG/ERPs were recorded from 128 scalp sites. P300 amplitude was greater to correct than incorrect solutions. Accuracy was higher when there was no conflict between the two sets of information A numerical error-related negativity (nERN) was elicited by incorrect solutions, and also by correct solutions when the finger-counting was incongruent. Source analysis applied to the incongruent minus congruent difference showed that when finger-counting was incorrect nERN mostly derived from medial and superior prefrontal cortex activity (supporting action monitoring and suppression). Conversely, when finger-counting indicated the correct solution brain activation included occipital areas, somatosensory regions and visuomotor mirror areas, inferior and superior temporal cortex, reflecting attentional orienting toward the hands. In both cases, the left angular gyrus (BA39) was found active during conjoined digit/number processing, suggesting a strict neural association between finger and digit processing. The present findings help explaining why a lesion in the left parietal cortex may simultaneously lead to finger apraxia and acalculia (Gertsmann syndrome).
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Desai RH, Reilly M, van Dam W. The multifaceted abstract brain. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0122. [PMID: 29914991 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
concepts play a central role in human behaviour and constitute a critical component of the human conceptual system. Here, we investigate the neural basis of four types of abstract concepts, examining their similarities and differences through neuroimaging meta-analyses. We examine numerical and emotional concepts, and two higher-order abstract processes, morality judgements and theory of mind. Three main findings emerge. First, representation of abstract concepts is more widespread than is often assumed. Second, representations of different types of abstract concepts differ in important respects. Each of the domains examined here was associated with some unique areas. Third, some areas were commonly activated across domains and included inferior parietal, posterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex. We interpret these regions in terms of their role in episodic recall, event representation and social-emotional processing. We suggest that different types of abstract concepts can be represented and grounded through differing contributions from event-based, interoceptive, introspective and sensory-motor representations. The results underscore the richness and diversity of abstract concepts, argue against single-mechanism accounts for representation of all types of abstract concepts and suggest mechanisms for their direct and indirect grounding.This article is part of the theme issue 'Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rutvik H Desai
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, 220 Discovery Building, 915 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Megan Reilly
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, 220 Discovery Building, 915 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Wessel van Dam
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, 220 Discovery Building, 915 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29208, USA
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Abstract
The first steps in numerical cognition are usually done in conjunction with fingers. Following the assumption that abstract concepts stay associated with the sensory-motor information that was present during their acquisition and consolidation, mental number representations should always be associated with the respective finger counting components. We tested whether finger movements that imply finger counting actually prime the corresponding number concepts in adults. All participants counted number 1 with their thumb and incremented sequentially to number 5 with their pinky. In the experiment, participants sequentially and repeatedly pressed five buttons from thumb to pinky. Each button press triggered the visual presentation of a random number between 1 and 5 that had to be named aloud, resulting in 20% counting-congruent and 80% counting-incongruent finger-number mappings. Average naming latencies were significantly shorter for congruent than incongruent finger-number combinations. Furthermore, there was a distance effect where primes partly co-activated numerically close target numbers and with decreasing priming for more distant prime-target pairs. Overall, these results provide further evidence that number representations are strongly associated with finger counting experience, making fingers an effective tool for number comprehension.
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Hohol M, Wołoszyn K, Nuerk HC, Cipora K. A large-scale survey on finger counting routines, their temporal stability and flexibility in educated adults. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5878. [PMID: 30402357 PMCID: PMC6215439 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A strong link between bodily activity and number processing has been established in recent years. Although numerous observations indicate that adults use finger counting (FC) in various contexts of everyday life for different purposes, existing knowledge of FC routines and their use is still limited. In particular, it remains unknown how stable the (default) FC habits are over time and how flexible they can be. To investigate these questions, 380 Polish participants completed a questionnaire on their FC routines, the stability of these routines, and the context of FC usage, preceded by the request to count on their fingers from 1 to 10. Next, the test-retest stability of FC habits was examined in 84 participants 2 months following the first session. To the best of our knowledge, such a study design has been adopted for the first time. The results indicate that default FC routines of the majority of participants (75%) are relatively stable over time. At the same time, FC routines can flexibly adapt according to the situation (e.g., when holding an object). As regards prevalence, almost all participants, in line with previous findings on Western individuals, declared starting from the closed palm and extending consecutive fingers. Furthermore, we observed relations between FC preferences and handedness (more left-handers start from the left hand) and that actual finger use is still widespread in healthy adults for a variety of activities (the most prevalent uses of FC are listing elements, presenting arguments and plans, and calendar calculations). In sum, the results show the practical relevance of FC in adulthood, the relative stability of preferences over time along with flexible adaptation to a current situation, as well as an association of FC routines with handedness. Taken together our results suggest that FC is the phenomenon, which is moderated or mediated by multiple embodied factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Hohol
- Copernicus Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland
- Section of Cognitive Science, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kinga Wołoszyn
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland
| | - Hans-Christoph Nuerk
- Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Leibnitz-Institut für Wissenmedien, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Krzysztof Cipora
- Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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Popescu T, Sader E, Schaer M, Thomas A, Terhune DB, Dowker A, Mars RB, Cohen Kadosh R. The brain-structural correlates of mathematical expertise. Cortex 2018; 114:140-150. [PMID: 30424836 PMCID: PMC6996130 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Studies in several domains of expertise have established that experience-dependent plasticity brings about both functional and anatomical changes. However, little is known about how such changes come to shape the brain in the case of expertise acquired by professional mathematicians. Here, we aimed to identify cognitive and brain-structural (grey and white matter) characteristics of mathematicians as compared to non-mathematicians. Mathematicians and non-mathematician academics from the University of Oxford underwent structural and diffusion MRI scans, and were tested on a cognitive battery assessing working memory, attention, IQ, numerical and social skills. At the behavioural level, mathematical expertise was associated with better performance in domain-general and domain-specific dimensions. At the grey matter level, in a whole-brain analysis, behavioural performance correlated with grey matter density in left superior frontal gyrus – positively for mathematicians but negatively for non-mathematicians; in a region of interest analysis, we found in mathematicians higher grey matter density in the right superior parietal lobule, but lower grey matter density in the right intraparietal sulcus and in the left inferior frontal gyrus. In terms of white matter, there were no significant group differences in fractional anisotropy or mean diffusivity. These results reveal new insights into the relationship between mathematical expertise and grey matter metrics in brain regions previously implicated in numerical cognition, as well as in regions that have so far received less attention in this field. Further studies, based on longitudinal designs and cognitive training, could examine the conjecture that such cross-sectional findings arise from a bidirectional link between experience and structural brain changes that is itself subject to change across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tudor Popescu
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Wellcome Integrative Neuroscience Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Elie Sader
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Wellcome Integrative Neuroscience Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Marie Schaer
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Adam Thomas
- Wellcome Integrative Neuroscience Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; FMRIF, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Devin B Terhune
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK
| | - Ann Dowker
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Wellcome Integrative Neuroscience Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Roi Cohen Kadosh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Wellcome Integrative Neuroscience Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Nava E, Rinaldi L, Bulf H, Macchi Cassia V. The spatial representation of numbers and time follow distinct developmental trajectories: A study in 6- and 10-year-old children. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2018.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Rugani R, Betti S, Sartori L. Numerical Affordance Influences Action Execution: A Kinematic Study of Finger Movement. Front Psychol 2018; 9:637. [PMID: 29765348 PMCID: PMC5938414 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans represent symbolic numbers as oriented from left to right: the mental number line (MNL). Up to now, scientific studies have mainly investigated the MNL by means of response times. However, the existing knowledge on the MNL can be advantaged by studies on motor patterns while responding to a number. Cognitive representations, in fact, cannot be fully understood without considering their impact on actions. Here we investigated whether a motor response can be influenced by number processing. Participants seated in front of a little soccer goal. On each trial they were visually presented with a numerical (2, 5, 8) or a non-numerical ($) stimulus. They were instructed to kick a small ball with their right index toward a frontal soccer goal as soon as a stimulus appeared on a screen. However, they had to refrain from kicking when number five was presented (no-go signal). Our main finding is that performing a kicking action after observation of the larger digit proved to be more efficient: the trajectory path was shorter and lower on the surface, velocity peak was anticipated. The smaller number, instead, specifically altered the temporal and spatial aspects of trajectories, leading to more prolonged left deviations. This is the first experimental demonstration that the reaching component of a movement is influenced by number magnitude. Since this paradigm does not require any verbal skill and non-symbolic stimuli (array of dots) can be used, it could be fruitfully adopted to evaluate number abilities in children and even preschoolers. Notably, this is a self-motivating and engaging task, which might help children to get involved and to reduce potential arousal connected to institutional paper-and-pencil examinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Rugani
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Sonia Betti
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Luisa Sartori
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.,Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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Johnson-Ulrich Z, Vonk J. Spatial representation of magnitude in humans (Homo sapiens), Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), and American black bears (Ursus americanus). Anim Cogn 2018; 21:531-550. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-018-1186-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Revised: 04/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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26
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Zhao T, He X, Zhao X, Huang J, Zhang W, Wu S, Chen Q. The influence of time units on the flexibility of the spatial numerical association of response codes effect. Br J Psychol 2018; 109:299-320. [PMID: 29044461 PMCID: PMC5947571 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The Spatial Numerical/Temporal Association of Response Codes (SNARC/STEARC) effects are considered evidence of the association between number or time and space, respectively. As the SNARC effect was proposed by Dehaene, Bossini, and Giraux in 1993, several studies have suggested that different tasks and cultural factors can affect the flexibility of the SNARC effect. This study explored the influence of time units on the flexibility of the SNARC effect via materials with Arabic numbers, which were suffixed with time units and subjected to magnitude comparison tasks. Experiment 1 replicated the SNARC effect for numbers and the STEARC effect for time units. Experiment 2 explored the flexibility of the SNARC effect when numbers were attached to time units, which either conflicted with the numerical magnitude or in which the time units were the same or different. Experiment 3 explored whether the SNARC effect of numbers was stable when numbers were near the transition of two adjacent time units. The results indicate that the SNARC effect was flexible when the numbers were suffixed with time units: Time units influenced the direction of the SNARC effect in a way which could not be accounted for by the mathematical differences between the time units and numbers. This suggests that the SNARC effect is not obligatory and can be easily adapted or inhibited based on the current context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Zhao
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive ScienceSchool of PsychologySouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong ProvinceChina
| | - Xianyou He
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive ScienceSchool of PsychologySouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong ProvinceChina
| | - Xueru Zhao
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive ScienceSchool of PsychologySouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong ProvinceChina
| | - Jianrui Huang
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive ScienceSchool of PsychologySouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong ProvinceChina
| | - Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building ScienceGuangdong Engineering & Technology Research Center for Modern Architecture DesignSchool of ArchitectureSouth China University of TechnologyGuangzhouChina
| | - Shuang Wu
- Personnel DivisionGuangdong Polytechnic Normal UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Qi Chen
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive ScienceSchool of PsychologySouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong ProvinceChina
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Stimulating numbers: signatures of finger counting in numerosity processing. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2018; 84:152-167. [PMID: 29344725 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-018-0982-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Finger counting is one of the first steps in the development of mature number concepts. With a one-to-one correspondence of fingers to numbers in Western finger counting, fingers hold two numerical meanings: one is based on the number of fingers raised and the second is based on their ordinal position within the habitual finger counting sequence. This study investigated how these two numerical meanings of fingers are intertwined with numerical cognition in adults. Participants received tactile stimulation on their fingertips of one hand and named either the number of fingers stimulated (2, 3, or 4 fingers; Experiment 1) or the number of stimulations on one fingertip (2, 3, or 4 stimulations; Experiment 2). Responses were faster and more accurate when the set of stimulated fingers corresponded to finger counting habits (Experiment 1) and when the number of stimulations matched the ordinal position of the stimulated finger (Experiment 2). These results show that tactile numerosity perception is affected by individual finger counting habits and that those habits give numerical meaning to single fingers.
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Nava E, Rinaldi L, Bulf H, Macchi Cassia V. Visual and proprioceptive feedback differently modulate the spatial representation of number and time in children. J Exp Child Psychol 2017; 161:161-177. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Revised: 04/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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Rugani R, Betti S, Ceccarini F, Sartori L. Act on Numbers: Numerical Magnitude Influences Selection and Kinematics of Finger Movement. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1481. [PMID: 28912743 PMCID: PMC5582418 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past decade hand kinematics has been reliably adopted for investigating cognitive processes and disentangling debated topics. One of the most controversial issues in numerical cognition literature regards the origin - cultural vs. genetically driven - of the mental number line (MNL), oriented from left (small numbers) to right (large numbers). To date, the majority of studies have investigated this effect by means of response times, whereas studies considering more culturally unbiased measures such as kinematic parameters are rare. Here, we present a new paradigm that combines a "free response" task with the kinematic analysis of movement. Participants were seated in front of two little soccer goals placed on a table, one on the left and one on the right side. They were presented with left- or right-directed arrows and they were instructed to kick a small ball with their right index toward the goal indicated by the arrow. In a few test trials participants were presented also with a small (2) or a large (8) number, and they were allowed to choose the kicking direction. Participants performed more left responses with the small number and more right responses with the large number. The whole kicking movement was segmented in two temporal phases in order to make a hand kinematics' fine-grained analysis. The Kick Preparation and Kick Finalization phases were selected on the basis of peak trajectory deviation from the virtual midline between the two goals. Results show an effect of both small and large numbers on action execution timing. Participants were faster to finalize the action when responding to small numbers toward the left and to large number toward the right. Here, we provide the first experimental demonstration which highlights how numerical processing affects action execution in a new and not-overlearned context. The employment of this innovative and unbiased paradigm will permit to disentangle the role of nature and culture in shaping the direction of MNL and the role of finger in the acquisition of numerical skills. Last but not least, similar paradigms will allow to determine how cognition can influence action execution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Rugani
- Department of General Psychology, University of PadovaPadova, Italy
| | | | | | - Luisa Sartori
- Department of General Psychology, University of PadovaPadova, Italy
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Abstract
Canonical finger postures, as used in counting, activate number knowledge, but the exact mechanism for this priming effect is unclear. Here we dissociated effects of visual versus motor priming of number concepts. In Experiment 1, participants were exposed either to pictures of canonical finger postures (visual priming) or actively produced the same finger postures (motor priming) and then used foot responses to rapidly classify auditory numbers (targets) as smaller or larger than 5. Classification times revealed that manually adopted but not visually perceived postures primed magnitude classifications. Experiment 2 obtained motor priming of number processing through finger postures also with vocal responses. Priming only occurred through canonical and not through non-canonical finger postures. Together, these results provide clear evidence for motor priming of number knowledge. Relative contributions of vision and action for embodied numerical cognition and the importance of canonicity of postures are discussed.
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Crollen V, Collignon O. Cognition numérique : que peuvent nous apprendre les personnes non-voyantes ? Med Sci (Paris) 2017; 32:1097-1102. [DOI: 10.1051/medsci/20163212013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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A helping hand putting in order: Visuomotor routines organize numerical and non-numerical sequences in space. Cognition 2016; 152:40-52. [PMID: 27015351 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2016.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Revised: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Theories of embodied cognition emphasize the importance of sensorimotor schemas linked to external world experience for representing conceptual knowledge. Accordingly, some researchers have proposed that the spatial representation of numerical and non-numerical sequences relies on visuomotor routines, like reading habit and finger counting. There is a growing interest in how these two routines contribute to the spatial representation of ordinal sequences, although no investigation has so far directly compared them. The present study aims to investigate how these routines contribute to represent ordinal information in space. To address this issue, bilingual participants reading either from left-to-right or right-to-left were required to map ordinal information to all fingers of their right dominant hand. Critically, we manipulated both the direction of the mapping and the language of the verbal information. More specifically, a finger-mapping compatibility task was adopted in three experiments to explore the spatial representation of numerical (digit numbers and number words) and non-numerical (days of the week, presented in Hebrew and in English) sequences. Results showed that numerical information was preferentially mapped according to participants' finger counting habits, regardless of hand posture (prone and supine), number notation and reading habit. However, for non-numerical ordinal sequences, reading and finger counting directions both contributed to determine a preferential spatial mapping. These findings indicate that abstract knowledge representation relies on multiple over-trained visuomotor routines. More generally, these results highlight the capacity of our cognitive system to flexibly represent abstract ordered information, by relying on different directional experiences (finger counting, reading direction) depending on the stimuli and on the task at hand.
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Does finger sense predict addition performance? Cogn Process 2016; 17:139-46. [DOI: 10.1007/s10339-016-0756-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Rinaldi L, Gallucci M, Girelli L. Spatial-numerical consistency impacts on preschoolers’ numerical representation: Children can count on both peripersonal and personal space. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2015.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Fabbri M, Guarini A. Finger counting habit and spatial-numerical association in children and adults. Conscious Cogn 2015; 40:45-53. [PMID: 26748025 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2015.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Revised: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Sensory-motor experiences are known to build up concrete and abstract concepts during the lifespan. The present study aimed to test how finger counting habits (right-hand vs. left-hand starters) could influence the spatial-numerical representation in number-to-position (explicit) and digit-string bisection (implicit) tasks. The subjects were Italian primary school children (N=184, from the first to the fifth year) and adults (N=42). No general preference for right- or left-starting in the finger counting was found. In the explicit task, right- or left-starting did not affect performance. In the implicit task, the right-hand starters shifted from the left to the right space when bisecting small and large numbers respectively, while the left-hand starters shifted from the right to the left space with higher leftward bias for large numbers. The finger configuration in Italian children and adults influences the spatial-numerical representation, but only when implicit number processing is required by the task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Fabbri
- Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Italy.
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36
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Zago L, Badets A. What Is the Role of Manual Preference in Hand-Digit Mapping During Finger Counting? A Study in a Large Sample of Right- and Left-Handers. Perception 2015; 45:125-35. [PMID: 26562861 DOI: 10.1177/0301006615602628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The goal of the present study was to test whether there is a relationship between manual preference and hand-digit mapping in 369 French adults with similar numbers of right- and left-handers. Manual laterality was evaluated with the finger tapping test to evaluate hand motor asymmetry, and the Edinburgh handedness inventory was used to assess manual preference strength (MPS) and direction. Participants were asked to spontaneously "count on their fingers from 1 to 10" without indications concerning the hand(s) to be used. The results indicated that both MPS and hand motor asymmetry affect the hand-starting preference for counting. Left-handers with a strong left-hand preference (sLH) or left-hand motor asymmetry largely started to count with their left hand (left-starter), while right-handers with a strong right-hand preference (sRH) or right-hand motor asymmetry largely started to count with their right hand (right-starter). Notably, individuals with weak MPS did not show a hand-starting preference. These findings demonstrated that manual laterality contributes to finger counting directionality. Lastly, the results showed a higher proportion of sLH left-starter individuals compared with sRH right-starters, indicating an asymmetric bias of MPS on hand-starting preference. We hypothesize that the higher proportion of sLH left-starters could be explained by the congruence between left-to-right hand-digit mapping and left-to-right mental number line representation that has been largely reported in the literature. Taken together, these results indicate that finger-counting habits integrate biological and cultural information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure Zago
- Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle (GIN), Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Arnaud Badets
- Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle (GIN), Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
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Raghubar KP, Barnes MA, Dennis M, Cirino PT, Taylor H, Landry S. Neurocognitive predictors of mathematical processing in school-aged children with spina bifida and their typically developing peers: Attention, working memory, and fine motor skills. Neuropsychology 2015; 29:861-73. [PMID: 26011113 PMCID: PMC4641019 DOI: 10.1037/neu0000196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Math and attention are related in neurobiological and behavioral models of mathematical cognition. This study employed model-driven assessments of attention and math in children with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM), who have known math difficulties and specific attentional deficits, to more directly examine putative relations between attention and mathematical processing. The relation of other domain general abilities and math was also investigated. METHOD Participants were 9.5-year-old children with SBM (n = 44) and typically developing children (n = 50). Participants were administered experimental exact and approximate arithmetic tasks, and standardized measures of math fluency and calculation. Cognitive measures included the Attention Network Test (ANT), and standardized measures of fine motor skills, verbal working memory (WM), and visual-spatial WM. RESULTS Children with SBM performed similarly to peers on exact arithmetic, but more poorly on approximate and standardized arithmetic measures. On the ANT, children with SBM differed from controls on orienting attention, but not on alerting and executive attention. Multiple mediation models showed that fine motor skills and verbal WM mediated the relation of group to approximate arithmetic; fine motor skills and visual-spatial WM mediated the relation of group to math fluency; and verbal and visual-spatial WM mediated the relation of group to math calculation. Attention was not a significant mediator of the effects of group for any aspect of math in this study. CONCLUSION Results are discussed with reference to models of attention, WM, and mathematical cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Maureen Dennis
- The Hospital for Sick Children and The University of Toronto, Ontario
| | - Paul T. Cirino
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Susan Landry
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, Houston, Texas
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Winter B, Matlock T, Shaki S, Fischer MH. Mental number space in three dimensions. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 57:209-19. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Revised: 09/01/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Abstract
It is reported that a canonical and cultural finger counting habit influences the spatial-numerical association. The digit ratio (the ratio between the lengths of the index and ring fingers as a putative indicator of prenatal androgen exposure) also plays an effect on space-number representation, reflecting a stronger left-to-right number representation in people with a short index finger and longer ring finger (i.e., 2D:4D ratio). It is unknown whether the finger counting habit and digit ratio have an effect on spatial-numerical association independently from each other or whether they interact with each other. In Study 1, the digit ratio and finger counting mapping were recorded in right handers. The participants performed number-to-position, digit string bisection, and physical line bisection tasks. In the number-to-position task, a finger counting effect was found, as well as a significant interaction between factors. A digit ratio effect was observed in the digit string bisection task. In Study 2, digit ratio and finger counting mapping were recorded in right and left handers. The results showed that the finger counting habit influenced the spatial biases in both numerical tasks. A significant interaction between finger counting and digit ratio was found in both numerical tasks when only the left hand was considered. The results are discussed considering the embodied nature of the spatial-numerical association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Fabbri
- Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Italy
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Berteletti I, Booth JR. Perceiving fingers in single-digit arithmetic problems. Front Psychol 2015; 6:226. [PMID: 25852582 PMCID: PMC4360562 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we investigate in children the neural underpinnings of finger representation and finger movement involved in single-digit arithmetic problems. Evidence suggests that finger representation and finger-based strategies play an important role in learning and understanding arithmetic. Because different operations rely on different networks, we compared activation for subtraction and multiplication problems in independently localized finger somatosensory and motor areas and tested whether activation was related to skill. Brain activations from children between 8 and 13 years of age revealed that only subtraction problems significantly activated finger motor areas, suggesting reliance on finger-based strategies. In addition, larger subtraction problems yielded greater somatosensory activation than smaller problems, suggesting a greater reliance on finger representation for larger numerical values. Interestingly, better performance in subtraction problems was associated with lower activation in the finger somatosensory area. Our results support the importance of fine-grained finger representation in arithmetical skill and are the first neurological evidence for a functional role of the somatosensory finger area in proficient arithmetical problem solving, in particular for those problems requiring quantity manipulation. From an educational perspective, these results encourage investigating whether different finger-based strategies facilitate arithmetical understanding and encourage educational practices aiming at integrating finger representation and finger-based strategies as a tool for instilling stronger numerical sense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Berteletti
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL, USA ; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Champaign, IL, USA
| | - James R Booth
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL, USA ; Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Texas at Austin , Austin, TX, USA
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41
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Chen YH, Zhou JF, Yeh SL. Beyond the SNARC effect: distance–number mapping occurs in the peripersonal space. Exp Brain Res 2015; 233:1519-28. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-015-4225-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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42
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Roesch S, Moeller K. Considering digits in a current model of numerical development. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 8:1062. [PMID: 25628559 PMCID: PMC4292462 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.01062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerical cognition has long been considered the perfect example of abstract information processing. Nevertheless, there is accumulating evidence in recent years suggesting that the representation of number magnitude may not be entirely abstract but may present a specific case of embodied cognition rooted in the sensory and bodily experiences of early finger counting and calculating. However, so far none of the existing models of numerical development considers the influence of finger-based representations. Therefore, we make first suggestions on (i) how finger-based representations may be integrated into a current model of numerical development; and (ii) how they might corroborate the acquisition of basic numerical competencies at different development levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Korbinian Moeller
- Knowledge Media Research Center Tuebingen, Germany ; Department of Psychology, Eberhard-Karls University Tuebingen, Germany
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43
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Badets A, Koch I, Philipp AM. A review of ideomotor approaches to perception, cognition, action, and language: advancing a cultural recycling hypothesis. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2014; 80:1-15. [PMID: 25535019 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-014-0643-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The term "cultural recycling" derives from the neuronal recycling hypothesis, which suggests that representations of cultural inventions like written words, Arabic numbers, or tools can occupy brain areas dedicated to other functions. In the present selective review article, we propose a recycling hypothesis for the ideomotor mechanism. The ideomotor approach assumes that motor actions are controlled by the anticipation of the expected perceptual consequences that they aim to generate in the environment. Arguably, such action-perception mechanisms contribute to motor behaviour for human and non-human animals since millions of years. However, recent empirical studies suggest that the ideomotor mechanism can also contribute to word processing, number representation, and arithmetic. For instance, it has been shown that the anticipatory simulation of abstract semantics, like the numerical quantitative value of three items can prime processing of the associated Arabic number "3". Arabic numbers, words, or tools represent cultural inventions, so that, from a theoretical perspective, we suggest an ideomotor recycling hypothesis for the interaction with such artefacts. In this view, the ideomotor mechanism spreads its influence to other functions beyond motor control, and is recycled to flexibly adapt different human behaviours towards dealing with more abstract concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Badets
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l'Apprentissage, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR-7295, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société, Bât A5; 5, rue Théodore Lefebvre, 86000, Poitiers, France.
| | - Iring Koch
- Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Andrea M Philipp
- Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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Wasner M, Moeller K, Fischer MH, Nuerk HC. Related but not the same: Ordinality, cardinality and 1-to-1 correspondence in finger-based numerical representations. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2014.964719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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45
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Bahnmueller J, Dresler T, Ehlis AC, Cress U, Nuerk HC. NIRS in motion-unraveling the neurocognitive underpinnings of embodied numerical cognition. Front Psychol 2014; 5:743. [PMID: 25101020 PMCID: PMC4102851 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Bahnmueller
- Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen Tuebingen, Germany ; Knowledge Media Research Center Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Dresler
- LEAD Graduate School, University of Tuebingen Tuebingen, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Ann-Christine Ehlis
- LEAD Graduate School, University of Tuebingen Tuebingen, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Ulrike Cress
- Knowledge Media Research Center Tuebingen, Germany ; LEAD Graduate School, University of Tuebingen Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Hans-Christoph Nuerk
- Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen Tuebingen, Germany ; Knowledge Media Research Center Tuebingen, Germany ; LEAD Graduate School, University of Tuebingen Tuebingen, Germany
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46
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Do not count on me to imagine how I act: behavior contradicts questionnaire responses in the assessment of finger counting habits. Behav Res Methods 2014; 46:1079-87. [DOI: 10.3758/s13428-014-0447-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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47
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Hoffmann D, Pigat D, Schiltz C. The impact of inhibition capacities and age on number–space associations. Cogn Process 2014; 15:329-42. [DOI: 10.1007/s10339-014-0601-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2013] [Accepted: 01/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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48
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Aspects of situated cognition in embodied numerosity: the case of finger counting. Cogn Process 2014; 15:317-28. [PMID: 24435616 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-014-0599-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2013] [Accepted: 01/03/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Numerical cognitions such as spatial-numerical associations have been observed to be influenced by grounded, embodied and situated factors. For the case of finger counting, grounded and embodied influences have been reported. However, situated influences, e.g., that reported counting habits change with perception and action within a given situation, have not been systematically examined. To pursue the issue of situatedness of reported finger-counting habits, 458 participants were tested in three separate groups: (1) spontaneous condition: counting with both hands available, (2) perceptual condition: counting with horizontal (left-to-right) perceptual arrangement of fingers (3) perceptual and proprioceptive condition: counting with horizontal (left-to-right) perceptual arrangement of fingers and with busy dominant hand. Report of typical counting habits differed strongly between the three conditions. 28 % reported to start counting with the left hand in the spontaneous counting condition (1), 54 % in the perceptual condition (2) and 62 % in the perceptual and proprioceptive condition (3). Additionally, all participants in the spontaneous counting group showed a symmetry-based counting pattern (with the thumb as number 6), while in the two other groups, a considerable number of participants exhibited a spatially continuous counting pattern (with the pinkie as number 6). Taken together, the study shows that reported finger-counting habits depend on the perceptual and proprioceptive situation and thus are strongly influenced by situated cognition. We suggest that this account reconciles apparently contradictory previous findings of different counting preferences regarding the starting hand in different examination situations.
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Hoffmann D, Mussolin C, Martin R, Schiltz C. The impact of mathematical proficiency on the number-space association. PLoS One 2014; 9:e85048. [PMID: 24416338 PMCID: PMC3885673 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
A specific instance of the association between numerical and spatial representations is the SNARC (Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes) effect. The SNARC effect describes the finding that during binary classification of numbers participants are faster to respond to small/large numbers with the left/right hand respectively. Even though it has been frequently replicated, important inter-individual variability has also been reported. Mathematical proficiency is an obvious candidate source for inter-individual variability in numerical judgments, but studies investigating its influence on the SNARC effect remain scarce. The present experiment included a total of 95 University students, divided into three groups differing significantly in their mathematical proficiency levels. Using group analyses, it appeared that the three groups differed significantly in the strength of their number-space associations in a parity judgment task. This result was further confirmed on an individual level, with higher levels in arithmetic leading to relatively weaker SNARC effects. To explain this negative relationship we propose accounts based on differences in access to qualitatively different numerical representations and also consider more domain general factors, with a focus on inhibition capacities.
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50
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Penner-Wilger M, Anderson ML. The relation between finger gnosis and mathematical ability: why redeployment of neural circuits best explains the finding. Front Psychol 2013; 4:877. [PMID: 24367341 PMCID: PMC3851991 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2013] [Accepted: 11/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper elaborates a novel hypothesis regarding the observed predictive relation between finger gnosis and mathematical ability. In brief, we suggest that these two cognitive phenomena have overlapping neural substrates, as the result of the re-use (“redeployment”) of part of the finger gnosis circuit for the purpose of representing numbers. We offer some background on the relation and current explanations for it; an outline of our alternate hypothesis; some evidence supporting redeployment over current views; and a plan for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcie Penner-Wilger
- Department of Psychology, King's University College at Western University London, ON, Canada
| | - Michael L Anderson
- Department of Psychology, Franklin & Marshall College Lancaster, PA, USA ; Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Maryland, College Park MD, USA
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