TY  - JOUR
A1  - Sixtus, Elena
A1  - Lindner, Nadja
A1  - Lohse, Karoline
A1  - Lonnemann, Jan
T1  - Investigating the influence of body movements on children's mental arithmetic performance
JF  - Acta psychologica : international journal of psychonomics
N2  - Several lines of research have demonstrated spatial-numerical associations in both adults and children, which are thought to be based on a spatial representation of numerical information in the form of a mental number line. The acquisition of increasingly precise mental number line representations is assumed to support arithmetic learning in children. It is further suggested that sensorimotor experiences shape the development of number concepts and arithmetic learning, and that mental arithmetic can be characterized as “motion along a path” and might constitute shifts in attention along the mental number line. The present study investigated whether movements in physical space influence mental arithmetic in primary school children, and whether the expected effect depends on concurrency of body movements and mental arithmetic. After turning their body towards the left or right, 48 children aged 8 to 10 years solved simple subtraction and addition problems. Meanwhile, they either walked or stood still and looked towards the respective direction. We report a congruency effect between body orientation and operation type, i.e., higher performance for the combinations leftward orientation and subtraction and rightward orientation and addition. We found no significant difference between walking and looking conditions. The present results suggest that mental arithmetic in children is influenced by preceding sensorimotor cues and not necessarily by concurrent body movements.
KW  - Mental number line
KW  - Horizontal space
KW  - Embodied cognition
KW  - Arithmetic skills
Y1  - 2023
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104003
SN  - 0001-6918
SN  - 1873-6297
VL  - 239
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Amsterdam
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lindner, Nadja
A1  - Moeller, Korbinian
A1  - Dresen, Verena
A1  - Pixner, Silvia
A1  - Lonnemann, Jan
T1  - Children's spatial language skills predict their verbal number skills
BT  - A longitudinal study
JF  - PLOS ONE
N2  - The process of number symbolization is assumed to be critically influenced by the acquisition of so-called verbal number skills (e.g., verbally reciting the number chain and naming Arabic numerals). For the acquisition of these verbal number skills, verbal and visuospatial skills are discussed as contributing factors. In this context, children’s verbal number skills have been found to be associated with their concurrent spatial language skills such as mastery of verbal descriptions of spatial position (e.g., in front of, behind). In a longitudinal study with three measurement times (T1, T2, T3) at an interval of about 6 months, we evaluated the predictive role of preschool children’s (mean age at T1: 3 years and 10 months) spatial language skills for the acquisition of verbal number skills. Children’s spatial language skills at T2 significantly predicted their verbal number skills at T3, when controlling for influences of important covariates such as vocabulary knowledge. In addition, further analyses replicated previous results indicating that children’s spatial language skills at T2 were associated with their verbal number skills at T2. Exploratory analyses further revealed that children’s verbal number skills at T1 predict their spatial language at T2. Results suggests that better spatial language skills at the age of 4 years facilitate the future acquisition of verbal number skills.
Y1  - 2022
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277026
SN  - 1932-6203
VL  - 17
IS  - 10
PB  - PLOS
CY  - San Francisco
ER  - 
TY  - GEN
A1  - Lindner, Nadja
A1  - Moeller, Korbinian
A1  - Dresen, Verena
A1  - Pixner, Silvia
A1  - Lonnemann, Jan
T1  - Children's spatial language skills predict their verbal number skills
BT  - A longitudinal study
N2  - The process of number symbolization is assumed to be critically influenced by the acquisition of so-called verbal number skills (e.g., verbally reciting the number chain and naming Arabic numerals). For the acquisition of these verbal number skills, verbal and visuospatial skills are discussed as contributing factors. In this context, children’s verbal number skills have been found to be associated with their concurrent spatial language skills such as mastery of verbal descriptions of spatial position (e.g., in front of, behind). In a longitudinal study with three measurement times (T1, T2, T3) at an interval of about 6 months, we evaluated the predictive role of preschool children’s (mean age at T1: 3 years and 10 months) spatial language skills for the acquisition of verbal number skills. Children’s spatial language skills at T2 significantly predicted their verbal number skills at T3, when controlling for influences of important covariates such as vocabulary knowledge. In addition, further analyses replicated previous results indicating that children’s spatial language skills at T2 were associated with their verbal number skills at T2. Exploratory analyses further revealed that children’s verbal number skills at T1 predict their spatial language at T2. Results suggests that better spatial language skills at the age of 4 years facilitate the future acquisition of verbal number skills.
T3  - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 827 
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-587298
SN  - 1866-8364
IS  - 827
ER  - 
TY  - GEN
A1  - Lindner, Nadja
A1  - Moeller, Korbinian
A1  - Hildebrandt, Frauke
A1  - Hasselhorn, Marcus
A1  - Lonnemann, Jan
T1  - Children's use of egocentric reference frames in spatial language is related to their numerical magnitude understanding
T2  - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe
N2  - Numerical magnitude information is assumed to be spatially represented in the form of a mental number line defined with respect to a body-centred, egocentric frame of reference. In this context, spatial language skills such as mastery of verbal descriptions of spatial position (e.g., in front of, behind, to the right/left) have been proposed to be relevant for grasping spatial relations between numerical magnitudes on the mental number line. We examined 4- to 5-year-old’s spatial language skills in tasks that allow responses in egocentric and allocentric frames of reference, as well as their relative understanding of numerical magnitude (assessed by a number word comparison task). In addition, we evaluated influences of children’s absolute understanding of numerical magnitude assessed by their number word comprehension (montring different numbers using their fingers) and of their knowledge on numerical sequences (determining predecessors and successors as well as identifying missing dice patterns of a series). Results indicated that when considering responses that corresponded to the egocentric perspective, children’s spatial language was associated significantly with their relative numerical magnitude understanding, even after controlling for covariates, such as children’s SES, mental rotation skills, and also absolute magnitude understanding or knowledge on numerical sequences. This suggests that the use of egocentric reference frames in spatial language may facilitate spatial representation of numbers along a mental number line and thus seem important for preschoolers’ relative understanding of numerical magnitude.
T3  - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 815 
KW  - spatial language
KW  - frames of reference
KW  - numerical development
KW  - mental number line
KW  - preschool children
Y1  - 2023
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-581270
SN  - 1866-8364
IS  - 815
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lindner, Nadja
A1  - Moeller, Korbinian
A1  - Hildebrandt, Frauke
A1  - Hasselhorn, Marcus
A1  - Lonnemann, Jan
T1  - Children's use of egocentric reference frames in spatial language is related to their numerical magnitude understanding
JF  - Frontiers in Psychology
N2  - Numerical magnitude information is assumed to be spatially represented in the form of a mental number line defined with respect to a body-centred, egocentric frame of reference. In this context, spatial language skills such as mastery of verbal descriptions of spatial position (e.g., in front of, behind, to the right/left) have been proposed to be relevant for grasping spatial relations between numerical magnitudes on the mental number line. We examined 4- to 5-year-old’s spatial language skills in tasks that allow responses in egocentric and allocentric frames of reference, as well as their relative understanding of numerical magnitude (assessed by a number word comparison task). In addition, we evaluated influences of children’s absolute understanding of numerical magnitude assessed by their number word comprehension (montring different numbers using their fingers) and of their knowledge on numerical sequences (determining predecessors and successors as well as identifying missing dice patterns of a series). Results indicated that when considering responses that corresponded to the egocentric perspective, children’s spatial language was associated significantly with their relative numerical magnitude understanding, even after controlling for covariates, such as children’s SES, mental rotation skills, and also absolute magnitude understanding or knowledge on numerical sequences. This suggests that the use of egocentric reference frames in spatial language may facilitate spatial representation of numbers along a mental number line and thus seem important for preschoolers’ relative understanding of numerical magnitude.
KW  - spatial language
KW  - frames of reference
KW  - numerical development
KW  - mental number line
KW  - preschool children
Y1  - 2022
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.943191
SN  - 1664-1078
SP  - 1
EP  - 13
PB  - Frontiers
CY  - Lausanne, Schweiz
ER  -