The sensory-motor nature of number concepts and arithmetic

The concept of number has traditionally been considered as a prototypical instance of abstract(ed) knowledge. It denotes the size of any arbitrary set of objects, thus seemingly preventing systematic correlations with sensory or motor features. Yet, numerosity does co-vary with physical parameters in perception and action. Importantly, number symbols preserve this association. In this presentation, I describe how number processing obligatorily activates sensory and motor features: both sensory and motor processing are improved in left vs. right space following the presentation of small vs. large numbers. These links are bi-directional and suffice to identify numbers as embodied concepts. Moreover, these space-magnitude associations influence mental arithmetic and everyday quantitative reasoning (cf. Fischer & Shaki, 2014). Implications for research and theorizing will be discussed. Reference: Fischer, M. H. & Shaki, S. (2014). Spatial Associations in Numerical Cognition: From single digits to arithmetic. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 67(8), 1461-1483.