Abstract
This study investigates how children’s numerical cognition is reflected in their unfolding actions. Five- and 6-year-olds (N = 34) completed a numerical comparison task by reaching to touch one of three rectangles arranged horizontally on a digital display. A number from 1 to 9 appeared in the center rectangle on each trial. Participants were instructed to touch the left rectangle for numbers 1-4, the center rectangle for 5, and the right rectangle for 6-9. Reach trajectories were more curved toward the center rectangle for numbers closer to 5 (e.g., 4) than numbers further from 5 (e.g., 1). This finding indicates that a tight coupling exists between numerical and spatial information in children’s cognition and action as early as the preschool years. In addition to shedding new light on the spatial representation of numbers during childhood, our results highlight the promise of incorporating measures of manual dynamics into developmental research.
Highlights
This study investigates how children’s numerical cognition is reflected in their unfolding actions
We evaluated the effect of response location in light of recent research indicating that movement direction can influence how the numerical distance effect (NDE) is expressed in reaching behavior (Faulkenberry, 2016)
Performance was analyzed with a series of 4 (Distance: Distance 4 (D4), Distance 3 (D3), Distance 2 (D2), Distance 1 (D1)) x 2 (Location: Left, Right) repeated measures ANOVAs
Summary
This study investigates how children’s numerical cognition is reflected in their unfolding actions. To shed light on this question, researchers have turned to techniques such as mouse tracking and 3-dimensional reach tracking to measure how numerical cognition is reflected in continuous hand movements (e.g., Chapman et al, 2014; Dotan & Dehaene, 2013; Faulkenberry, 2016; Faulkenberry & Rey, 2014; Fischer & Hartmann, 2014; Marghetis, Núñez, & Bergen, 2014; Santens, Goossens, & Verguts, 2011; Song & Nakayama, 2008) These techniques provide a more direct measure of the spatial representation of number than discrete button presses and present new opportunities to develop and test models linking numerical cognition to action (e.g., Dotan & Dehaene, 2013). This finding led the researchers to conclude that the integration of numerical and spatial information was restricted to early planning-related processes and did not influence processes related to action execution
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
