Manumerical cognition: Assessing the contributions of ordinal, cardinal and spatial components of finger counting to adult numerical cognition
Final Report Abstract
A series of experiments with adults has documented effects of finger stimulation and finger posturing on numerical cognition. Specifically, we repeatedly observed congruency effects between tactile and visual sensory stimulation patterns and the numerical processing required by our tasks: for example, when one’s index finger is stimulated then the concept “two” is more easily accessible, as measured by faster naming. The same is true when stretching one’s thumb and index finger while bending the remaining finger of the hand. These results are in agreement with an embodied cognition perspective, according to which the sensory and motor activations which are present during acquisition of conceptual knowledge, remain an essential part of this knowledge throughout life. When such activations are induced through sensory stimulation or motor behavior then they enhance knowledge retrieval. This outcome, in turn, suggests that rich sensory and motor experiences are desirable from an educational point of view, consistent with current arguments in the public discourse against premature introduction of digital teaching and learning aids. The availability of advanced motion tracking devices made a strong impact on this project by offering a low-cost yet high-performance tool to record and classify finger poses. Horn-Conrad, A.: Mental Number Line - The role of finger counting and the significance of embodied cognition, in “Portal Wissen – Research Magazine of University Potsdam”, Vol. 1 (2014), pp. 36-37 (English and German versions).
Publications
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(2014). Aspects of situated cognition in embodied numerosity: The case of finger counting habits. Cognitive Processing, 15, 317-328
Wasner, M., Moeller, K., Fischer, M. H., & Nuerk, H. C.
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(2014). Eine kognitionswissenschaftliche Betrachtung der Konzepte „Raum“ und „Zahl“ (A cognitive science perspective on space and number). In Petsche, H.-J. (ed.), Raum und Zahl im Fokus der Wissenschaften: Eine multidisziplinäre Vorlesungsreihe (pp. 35-62). Trafo Verlagsgruppe Berlin. ISBN: 978-3864-64082-7
Sixtus, E., & Fischer, M. H.
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(2014). Spatial Associations in Numerical Cognition: From single digits to arithmetic. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 67(8), 1461-1483
Fischer, M. H. & Shaki, S.
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(2015). A pointer about grasping numbers. Frontiers in Cognitive Sciences, 6: 227
Fischer, M. H., Sixtus, E., & Göbel, S. M.
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(2015). Addition goes where the big numbers are: Evidence for a reversed operational momentum effect. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 22(4), 993-1000
Pinhas, M., Shaki, S., & Fischer, M. H.
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(2015). Development of spatial preferences for counting and picture naming. Psychological Research
Knudsen, B., Fischer, M. H., & Aschersleben, G.
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(2015). Ordinality, cardinality and 1-to-1 correspondence in finger-based numerical representations. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, (27(4), 426-441
Wasner, M., Moeller, K., Fischer, M. H., & Nuerk, H. C.
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(2016). Effect of meaning on apraxic finger imitation deficits. Neuropsychologia, 82, 74-83
Achilles, E. I. S., Fink, G. R., Fischer, M. H., Dovern, A., Held, A., Timpert, T. C., Schroeter, C., Schuetz, K., Kloetsch, C., & Weiss, P. H.
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(2016). Measuring spatial-numerical associations: Evidence for a purely conceptual link. Psychological Research, 80(1), 109-112
Fischer, M. H., & Shaki, S.
