How digits help digits – Grasping numbers

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Korbinian Möller
• Subject Area: Developmental and Educational Psychology
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 406023305

Numerical cognition has long been considered the perfect example of abstract information processing. However, in recent years there is accumulating evidence from behavioral but also neuro-cognitive studies suggesting that the representation of number magnitude seems to present a specific case of embodied cognition that is – at least partly - grounded in the sensory and bodily experiences of early finger counting and calculating. In line with this idea, the project aims at investigating the impact of finger-based strategies on basic numerical skills. In particular, it will focus on the questions (1) whether finger motor and sensory skills are directly and functionally relevant for children’s numerical development, or whether this association is rather mediated by the frequency of finger-based strategies for counting and initial arithmetic, and (2) in which way numerical learning is influenced by finger-based strategies, and which numerical competencies are associated with finger-based strategies, in particular. These questions will be pursued in an integrated two-phase cross-sectional/longitudinal approach. In the proposed project, these questions will be pursued in three studies. Study 1 aims at evaluating the functional relevance of finger-based strategies for numerical learning in an experimental setup. It is planned to instruct first and second graders to learn a pseudo-number word sequence – matched to the German number word sequence with respect to phonological and phonotactic aspects – with and without help of finger-based strategies. This procedure allows to re-enact the acquisition of the (German) number word sequence under experimental conditions and draw conclusions on the impact of finger-based numerical strategies. In Study 2, we will conduct a cross-sectional study to evaluate the association between FMS/finger gnosis, finger-based strategies and basic numerical competencies in 4 to 6-year-old children on three developmental levels are as argued by Roesch & Moeller (2015). Study 3, a longitudinal study will build on first insights gained from Study 2. In particular, it is planned to follow a cohort of 4-year-olds over a period of two years until the age of 6. With testing sessions every six months (i.e., twice each year of kindergarten), we aim at tracing the development of FMS/finger gnosis, finger-based strategies and numerical skills through the kindergarten period. Following this procedure, the proposed project will allow for evaluating in how far both finger-based strategies and finger motor/sensory skills contribute to the development of basic numerical abilities. Thus, it will not only provide novel insights into the influence of finger-based strategies on the acquisition of early numerical competencies and the development of embodied numerosity. Instead, it will also contribute to solving the debate on whether finger-based strategies are a valuable tool to acquire and even teach basic numerical concepts.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Stephanie Rösch