Cross-cultural and intra-cultural differences in finger-counting habits and number magnitude processing: Embodied numerosity in Canadian and Chinese university students
Author(s) / Creator(s)
Morrissey, Kyle Richard
Liu, Mowei
Kang, Jingmei
Hallett, Darcy
Wang, Qiangqiang
Abstract / Description
Recent work in numerical cognition has shown-that number magnitude is not entirely abstract, and at least partly rooted in embodied and situated experiences, including finger-counting. The current study extends previous cross-cultural research to address within-culture individual differences in finger counting habits. Results indicated that Canadian participants demonstrated an additional cognitive load when comparing numbers that require more than one hand to represent, and this pattern of performance is further modulated by whether they typically start counting on their left hand or their right hand. Chinese students typically count on only one hand and so show no such effect, except for an increase in errors, similar to that seen in Canadians, for those whom self-identify as predominantly two-hand counters. Results suggest that the impact of finger counting habits extend beyond cultural experience and concord in predictable ways with differences in number magnitude processing for specific number-digits. We conclude that symbolic number magnitude processing is partially rooted in learned finger-counting habits, consistent with a motor simulation account of embodied numeracy and that argument is supported by both cross-cultural and within-culture differences in finger-counting habits.
Keyword(s)
magnitude Chinese finger-counting embodied cognition individual differencesPersistent Identifier
Date of first publication
2016-04-29
Journal title
Journal of Numerical Cognition
Volume
2
Issue
1
Page numbers
1–19
Publisher
PsychOpen GOLD
Publication status
publishedVersion
Review status
peerReviewed
Is version of
Citation
Morrissey, K. R., Liu, M., Kang, J., Hallett, D., & Wang, Q. (2016). Cross-cultural and intra-cultural differences in finger-counting habits and number magnitude processing: Embodied numerosity in Canadian and Chinese university students. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 2(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v2i1.14
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jnc.v2i1.14.pdfAdobe PDF - 1.54MBMD5: 98ba1dbfe002e8dae015a744e70c2b89
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There are no other versions of this object.
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Morrissey, Kyle Richard
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Liu, Mowei
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Kang, Jingmei
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Hallett, Darcy
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Wang, Qiangqiang
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PsychArchives acquisition timestamp2018-11-21T11:42:39Z
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Made available on2018-11-21T11:42:39Z
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Date of first publication2016-04-29
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Abstract / DescriptionRecent work in numerical cognition has shown-that number magnitude is not entirely abstract, and at least partly rooted in embodied and situated experiences, including finger-counting. The current study extends previous cross-cultural research to address within-culture individual differences in finger counting habits. Results indicated that Canadian participants demonstrated an additional cognitive load when comparing numbers that require more than one hand to represent, and this pattern of performance is further modulated by whether they typically start counting on their left hand or their right hand. Chinese students typically count on only one hand and so show no such effect, except for an increase in errors, similar to that seen in Canadians, for those whom self-identify as predominantly two-hand counters. Results suggest that the impact of finger counting habits extend beyond cultural experience and concord in predictable ways with differences in number magnitude processing for specific number-digits. We conclude that symbolic number magnitude processing is partially rooted in learned finger-counting habits, consistent with a motor simulation account of embodied numeracy and that argument is supported by both cross-cultural and within-culture differences in finger-counting habits.en_US
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Publication statuspublishedVersion
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Review statuspeerReviewed
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CitationMorrissey, K. R., Liu, M., Kang, J., Hallett, D., & Wang, Q. (2016). Cross-cultural and intra-cultural differences in finger-counting habits and number magnitude processing: Embodied numerosity in Canadian and Chinese university students. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 2(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v2i1.14en_US
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ISSN2363-8761
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Persistent Identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1232
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Persistent Identifierhttps://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.1424
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Language of contenteng
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PublisherPsychOpen GOLD
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Is version ofhttps://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v2i1.14
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Keyword(s)magnitudeen_US
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Keyword(s)Chineseen_US
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Keyword(s)finger-countingen_US
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Keyword(s)embodied cognitionen_US
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Keyword(s)individual differencesen_US
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Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)150
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TitleCross-cultural and intra-cultural differences in finger-counting habits and number magnitude processing: Embodied numerosity in Canadian and Chinese university studentsen_US
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DRO typearticle
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Issue1
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Journal titleJournal of Numerical Cognition
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Page numbers1–19
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Volume2
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Visible tag(s)Version of Record