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A hand full of numbers: a role for offloading in arithmetics learning?
Annelise Júlio Costa1, Júlia Beatriz Lopes Silva, Pedro Pinheiro Chagas
1Developmental Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Frontiers in Psychology
|December 20, 2011
Summary
Children with math difficulties struggle with finger gnosia, the ability to identify fingers. This deficit specifically impacts solving word problems involving small numbers, not working memory.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Finger counting is linked to arithmetic skills in children.
- Understanding the cognitive underpinnings of mathematics learning difficulties is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between finger gnosia and mathematics learning difficulties in children.
- To determine if deficits in finger gnosia are associated with specific arithmetic challenges, such as word problems.
Main Methods:
- Studied two groups of children aged 8-11: those with (n=14) and without (n=84) mathematics learning difficulties.
- Assessed finger gnosia and working memory capacity.
- Evaluated performance on arithmetic tasks, particularly word problems involving small magnitudes (1-10).
Main Results:
- Children with mathematics learning difficulties exhibited significant deficits in finger gnosia.
- Finger gnosia deficits were specifically linked to difficulties in solving word problems requiring manipulation of small quantities.
- These deficits were not explained by working memory capacity but by an inability to use fingers for magnitude representation and cognitive load reduction.
Conclusions:
- Impaired finger gnosia is associated with mathematics learning difficulties.
- Finger-based magnitude representation is vital for mapping analog to discrete symbolic numerical understanding.
- Interventions targeting finger gnosia may support arithmetic learning in children with mathematical challenges.
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