Numerical Cognition in Action: Reaching Behavior Reveals Numerical Distance Effects in 5- to 6-Year-Olds
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 cente...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Insitute for Psychology
2018-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Numerical Cognition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://jnc.psychopen.eu/article/view/122 |
| _version_ | 1797969802062462976 |
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| author | Christopher D. Erb Jeff Moher Joo-Hyun Song David M. Sobel |
| author_facet | Christopher D. Erb Jeff Moher Joo-Hyun Song David M. Sobel |
| author_sort | Christopher D. Erb |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T03:08:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-26b1ca7b1bd14fe3bf155a836e97a63a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2363-8761 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T03:08:03Z |
| publishDate | 2018-09-01 |
| publisher | PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Insitute for Psychology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Numerical Cognition |
| spelling | doaj.art-26b1ca7b1bd14fe3bf155a836e97a63a2023-01-02T12:37:21ZengPsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Insitute for PsychologyJournal of Numerical Cognition2363-87612018-09-014228629610.5964/jnc.v4i2.122jnc.v4i2.122Numerical Cognition in Action: Reaching Behavior Reveals Numerical Distance Effects in 5- to 6-Year-OldsChristopher D. Erb0Jeff Moher1Joo-Hyun Song2David M. Sobel3Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USAPsychology Department, Connecticut College, New London, CT, USADepartment of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USADepartment of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USAThis 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.http://jnc.psychopen.eu/article/view/122cognitive developmentnumerical distance effect (NDE)reach trackingspatial cognition |
| spellingShingle | Christopher D. Erb Jeff Moher Joo-Hyun Song David M. Sobel Numerical Cognition in Action: Reaching Behavior Reveals Numerical Distance Effects in 5- to 6-Year-Olds Journal of Numerical Cognition cognitive development numerical distance effect (NDE) reach tracking spatial cognition |
| title | Numerical Cognition in Action: Reaching Behavior Reveals Numerical Distance Effects in 5- to 6-Year-Olds |
| title_full | Numerical Cognition in Action: Reaching Behavior Reveals Numerical Distance Effects in 5- to 6-Year-Olds |
| title_fullStr | Numerical Cognition in Action: Reaching Behavior Reveals Numerical Distance Effects in 5- to 6-Year-Olds |
| title_full_unstemmed | Numerical Cognition in Action: Reaching Behavior Reveals Numerical Distance Effects in 5- to 6-Year-Olds |
| title_short | Numerical Cognition in Action: Reaching Behavior Reveals Numerical Distance Effects in 5- to 6-Year-Olds |
| title_sort | numerical cognition in action reaching behavior reveals numerical distance effects in 5 to 6 year olds |
| topic | cognitive development numerical distance effect (NDE) reach tracking spatial cognition |
| url | http://jnc.psychopen.eu/article/view/122 |
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