Article Version of Record

The differential relationship between finger gnosis, and addition and subtraction: An fMRI study

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Soylu, Firat
Raymond, David
Gutierrez, Arianna
Newman, Sharlene D.

Abstract / Description

The impact of fingers on numerical cognition has received a great deal of attention recently. One sub-set of these studies focus on the relation between finger gnosis (also called finger sense or finger gnosia), the ability to identify and individuate fingers, and mathematical development. Studies in this subdomain have reported mixed findings so far. While some studies reported that finger gnosis correlates with or predicts mathematics abilities in younger children, others failed to replicate these results. The current study explores the relationship between finger gnosis and two arithmetic operations—addition and subtraction. Twenty-four second to third graders participated in this fMRI study. Finger sense scores were negatively correlated with brain activation measured during both addition and subtraction. Three clusters, in the left fusiform, and left and right precuneus were found to negatively correlate with finger gnosis both during addition and subtraction. Activation in a cluster in the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) was found to negatively correlate with finger gnosis only for addition, even though this cluster was active both during addition and subtraction. These results suggest that the arithmetic fact retrieval may be linked to finger gnosis at the neural level, both for addition and subtraction, even when behavioral correlations are not observed. However, the nature of this link may be different for addition compared to subtraction, given that left IPL activation correlated with finger gnosis only for addition. Together the results reported appear to support the hypothesis that fingers provide a scaffold for arithmetic competency for both arithmetic operations.

Keyword(s)

finger gnosis finger sense arithmetic fMRI embodied cognition numerical cognition cognitive development

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2018-01-30

Journal title

Journal of Numerical Cognition

Volume

3

Issue

3

Page numbers

694–715

Publisher

PsychOpen GOLD

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Soylu, F., Raymond, D., Gutierrez, A., & Newman, S. D. (2018). The differential relationship between finger gnosis, and addition and subtraction: An fMRI study. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 3(3), 694–715. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v3i3.102
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Soylu, Firat
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Raymond, David
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Gutierrez, Arianna
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Newman, Sharlene D.
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2018-11-21T11:42:49Z
  • Made available on
    2018-11-21T11:42:49Z
  • Date of first publication
    2018-01-30
  • Abstract / Description
    The impact of fingers on numerical cognition has received a great deal of attention recently. One sub-set of these studies focus on the relation between finger gnosis (also called finger sense or finger gnosia), the ability to identify and individuate fingers, and mathematical development. Studies in this subdomain have reported mixed findings so far. While some studies reported that finger gnosis correlates with or predicts mathematics abilities in younger children, others failed to replicate these results. The current study explores the relationship between finger gnosis and two arithmetic operations—addition and subtraction. Twenty-four second to third graders participated in this fMRI study. Finger sense scores were negatively correlated with brain activation measured during both addition and subtraction. Three clusters, in the left fusiform, and left and right precuneus were found to negatively correlate with finger gnosis both during addition and subtraction. Activation in a cluster in the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) was found to negatively correlate with finger gnosis only for addition, even though this cluster was active both during addition and subtraction. These results suggest that the arithmetic fact retrieval may be linked to finger gnosis at the neural level, both for addition and subtraction, even when behavioral correlations are not observed. However, the nature of this link may be different for addition compared to subtraction, given that left IPL activation correlated with finger gnosis only for addition. Together the results reported appear to support the hypothesis that fingers provide a scaffold for arithmetic competency for both arithmetic operations.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Soylu, F., Raymond, D., Gutierrez, A., & Newman, S. D. (2018). The differential relationship between finger gnosis, and addition and subtraction: An fMRI study. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 3(3), 694–715. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v3i3.102
    en_US
  • ISSN
    2363-8761
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1270
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.1462
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychOpen GOLD
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v3i3.102
  • Keyword(s)
    finger gnosis
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    finger sense
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    arithmetic
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    fMRI
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    embodied cognition
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    numerical cognition
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    cognitive development
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    The differential relationship between finger gnosis, and addition and subtraction: An fMRI study
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Issue
    3
  • Journal title
    Journal of Numerical Cognition
  • Page numbers
    694–715
  • Volume
    3
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record