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Counting on the mental number line to make a move: Sensorimotor ('pen') control and numerical processing
Sheridan, Rebecca van Rooijen, Maaike Giles, Oscar Mushtaq, Faisal Steenbergen, Bert Mon-Williams, Mark Waterman, Amanda
Sheridan, Rebecca
van Rooijen, Maaike
Giles, Oscar
Mushtaq, Faisal
Steenbergen, Bert
Mon-Williams, Mark
Waterman, Amanda
Abstract
Mathematics is often conducted with a writing implement. But is there a relationship between numerical processing and sensorimotor ‘pen’ control? We asked participants to move a stylus so it crossed an unmarked line at a location specified by a symbolic number (1–9), where number colour indicated whether the line ran left–right (‘normal’) or vice versa (‘reversed’). The task could be simplified through the use of a ‘mental number line’ (MNL). Many modern societies use number lines in mathematical education and the brain’s representation of number appears to follow a culturally determined spatial organisation (so better task performance is associated with this culturally normal orientation—the MNL effect). Participants (counter-balanced) completed two consistent blocks of trials, ‘normal’ and ‘reversed’, followed by a mixed block where line direction varied randomly. Experiment 1 established that the MNL effect was robust, and showed that the cognitive load associated with reversing the MNL not only affected response selection but also the actual movement execution (indexed by duration) within the mixed trials. Experiment 2 showed that an individual’s motor abilities predicted performance in the difficult (mixed) condition but not the easier blocks. These results suggest that numerical processing is not isolated from motor capabilities—a finding with applied consequences.
Keywords
sensorimotor control, motor, movement, number, maths
Date
2017
Type
Journal article
Journal
Experimental Brain Research
Book
Volume
235
Issue
10
Page Range
3141-3152
Article Number
ACU Department
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open