TY - THES A1 - Felisatti, Arianna T1 - Spatial-numerical associations: From biological foundations to embodied learning to contextual flexibility T1 - Räumlich-numerische Assoziationen: Von den biologischen Grundlagen über das verkörperte Lernen bis zur kontextuellen Flexibilität N2 - Among the different meanings carried by numerical information, cardinality is fundamental for survival and for the development of basic as well as of higher numerical skills. Importantly, the human brain inherits from evolution a predisposition to map cardinality onto space, as revealed by the presence of spatial-numerical associations (SNAs) in humans and animals. Here, the mapping of cardinal information onto physical space is addressed as a hallmark signature characterizing numerical cognition. According to traditional approaches, cognition is defined as complex forms of internal information processing, taking place in the brain (cognitive processor). On the contrary, embodied cognition approaches define cognition as functionally linked to perception and action, in the continuous interaction between a biological body and its physical and sociocultural environment. Embracing the principles of the embodied cognition perspective, I conducted four novel studies designed to unveil how SNAs originate, develop, and adapt, depending on characteristics of the organism, the context, and their interaction. I structured my doctoral thesis in three levels. At the grounded level (Study 1), I unfold the biological foundations underlying the tendency to map cardinal information across space; at the embodied level (Study 2), I reveal the impact of atypical motor development on the construction of SNAs; at the situated level (Study 3), I document the joint influence of visuospatial attention and task properties on SNAs. Furthermore, I experimentally investigate the presence of associations between physical and numerical distance, another numerical property fundamental for the development of efficient mathematical minds (Study 4). In Study 1, I present the Brain’s Asymmetric Frequency Tuning hypothesis that relies on hemispheric asymmetries for processing spatial frequencies, a low-level visual feature that the (in)vertebrate brain extracts from any visual scene to create a coherent percept of the world. Computational analyses of the power spectra of the original stimuli used to document the presence of SNAs in human newborns and animals, support the brain’s asymmetric frequency tuning as a theoretical account and as an evolutionarily inherited mechanism scaffolding the universal and innate tendency to represent cardinality across horizontal space. In Study 2, I explore SNAs in children with rare genetic neuromuscular diseases: spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). SMA children never accomplish independent motoric exploration of their environment; in contrast, DMD children do explore but later lose this ability. The different SNAs reported by the two groups support the critical role of early sensorimotor experiences in the spatial representation of cardinality. In Study 3, I directly compare the effects of overt attentional orientation during explicit and implicit processing of numerical magnitude. First, the different effects of attentional orienting based on the type of assessment support different mechanisms underlying SNAs during explicit and implicit assessment of numerical magnitude. Secondly, the impact of vertical shifts of attention on the processing of numerical distance sheds light on the correspondence between numerical distance and peri-personal distance. In Study 4, I document the presence of different SNAs, driven by numerical magnitude and numerical distance, by employing different response mappings (left vs. right and near vs. distant). In the field of numerical cognition, the four studies included in the present thesis contribute to unveiling how the characteristics of the organism and the environment influence the emergence, the development, and the flexibility of our attitude to represent cardinal information across space, thus supporting the predictions of the embodied cognition approach. Furthermore, they inform a taxonomy of body-centred factors (biological properties of the brain and sensorimotor system) modulating the spatial representation of cardinality throughout the course of life, at the grounded, embodied, and situated levels. If the awareness for different variables influencing SNAs over the course of life is important, it is equally important to consider the organism as a whole in its sensorimotor interaction with the world. Inspired by my doctoral research, here I propose a holistic perspective that considers the role of evolution, embodiment, and environment in the association of cardinal information with directional space. The new perspective advances the current approaches to SNAs, both at the conceptual and at the methodological levels. Unveiling how the mental representation of cardinality emerges, develops, and adapts is necessary to shape efficient mathematical minds and achieve economic productivity, technological progress, and a higher quality of life. N2 - Unter den verschiedenen Bedeutungsaspekten numerischer Informationen ist die Kardinalität fundamental für das Überleben und die Entwicklung grundlegender sowie fortgeschrittener numerischer Fähigkeiten. Ein wichtiger Aspekt ist, dass das menschliche Gehirn evolutionär die Prädisposition besitzt, Kardinalität auf den Raum abzubilden, wie das Vorhandensein von räumlich-numerischen Assoziationen [engl. spatial-numerical associations, SNA] bei Menschen und Tieren zeigt. Hier wird die Abbildung kardinaler Informationen auf den physischen Raum als charakteristisches Merkmal der numerischen Kognition untersucht. Nach traditionellen Ansätzen wird Kognition als eine komplexe Form der internen Informationsverarbeitung definiert, die im Gehirn stattfindet (kognitiver Prozessor). Im Gegensatz dazu betrachten Ansätze der verkörperten Kognition (Embodied Cognition) Kognition als funktionell mit Wahrnehmung und Handlung verbunden, eingebettet in die kontinuierliche Interaktion zwischen einem biologischen Körper und seiner physischen sowie soziokulturellen Umgebung. In Anlehnung an die Prinzipien der Embodied-Cognition-Perspektive habe ich vier innovative Studien durchgeführt, um herauszufinden, wie SNA in Abhängigkeit von den Merkmalen des Organismus, des Kontexts und ihrer Interaktion entstehen, sich entwickeln und anpassen. Meine Doktorarbeit ist auf drei Ebenen strukturiert. Auf der geerdeten („grounded“) Ebene (Studie 1) zeige ich die biologischen Grundlagen auf, die der Tendenz zugrunde liegen, kardinale Informationen über den Raum hinweg abzubilden; auf der verkörperten („embodied“) Ebene (Studie 2) zeige ich die Auswirkungen einer atypischen motorischen Entwicklung auf die Konstruktion von SNA; auf der situativen („situated“) Ebene (Studie 3) dokumentiere ich den gemeinsamen Einfluss von visuell-räumlicher Aufmerksamkeit und von Aufgabeneigenschaften auf SNA. Darüber hinaus untersuche ich experimentell das Vorliegen von Assoziationen zwischen physischer und numerischer Distanz, einer weiteren numerischen Eigenschaft, die für die Entwicklung eines effizienten mathematischen Verstandes grundlegend ist (Studie 4). In Studie 1 stelle ich die Hypothese der asymmetrischen Frequenzabstimmung des Gehirns vor, die sich auf hemisphärische Asymmetrien bei der Verarbeitung räumlicher Frequenzen stützt. Diese räumlichen Frequenzen sind ein visuelles Merkmal auf niedriger Verarbeitungsebene, das das Gehirn von (Nicht-)Wirbeltieren aus jeder visuellen Szene extrahiert, um eine kohärente Wahrnehmung der Welt zu gewährleisten. Computergestützte Analysen der Leistungsspektren der ursprünglichen Stimuli, die verwendet wurden, um die Existenz von SNA bei menschlichen Neugeborenen und Tieren zu dokumentieren, unterstützen die asymmetrische Frequenzabstimmung des Gehirns als theoretische Erklärung. Dieser evolutionär vererbte Mechanismus könnte die universelle und angeborene Tendenz zur Darstellung von Kardinalität im horizontalen Raum erklären. In Studie 2 untersuche ich SNA bei Kindern mit seltenen genetisch bedingten neuromuskulären Krankheiten, nämlich Spinaler Muskelatrophie (SMA) und Duchenne-Muskeldystrophie (DMD). Kinder mit SMA sind nicht in der Lage, ihre Umwelt selbstständig motorisch zu erkunden, während Kinder mit DMD diese Fähigkeit anfangs besitzen, sie aber im Laufe der Zeit verlieren. Die unterschiedlichen SNA, die von den beiden Gruppen berichtet werden, belegen die entscheidende Rolle früher sensomotorischer Erfahrungen für die räumliche Repräsentation von Kardinalität. In Studie 3 vergleiche ich direkt die Auswirkungen der offenen Aufmerksamkeitsorientierung während der expliziten und impliziten Verarbeitung numerischer Größenordnungen. Erstens zeigen die unterschiedlichen Auswirkungen der Aufmerksamkeitsorientierung je nach Art der Bewertung unterschiedliche Mechanismen auf, die den SNA bei der expliziten und impliziten Beurteilung numerischer Größen zugrunde liegen. Zweitens deutet die Wirkung der vertikalen Aufmerksamkeitsverschiebung auf die Verarbeitung numerischer Distanzen auf eine Korrelation zwischen numerischer Distanz und peripersonaler Distanz hin. In Studie 4 belege ich das Vorliegen unterschiedlicher SNA, die durch numerische Größe und numerische Distanz gesteuert werden, mittels verschiedener Antwortzuordnungen (links vs. rechts und nah vs. fern). Die vier Studien dieser Arbeit auf dem Gebiet der numerischen Kognition zeigen, wie die Eigenschaften des Organismus und der Umwelt die Entstehung, Entwicklung und Flexibilität der Fähigkeit beeinflussen, kardinale Informationen über den Raum hinweg zu repräsentieren, und unterstützen damit die Vorhersagen des Ansatzes der verkörperten Kognition. Darüber hinaus liefern sie Einblicke in eine Taxonomie körperbezogener Faktoren, darunter biologische Merkmale des Gehirns und des sensomotorischen Systems, die die räumliche Repräsentation von Kardinalität im Laufe des Lebens auf den „grounded“, „embodied“ und „situated“ Ebenen modulieren. Die Kenntnis der verschiedenen Variablen, die die SNA im Laufe des Lebens beeinflussen, ist ebenso wichtig wie die Betrachtung des Organismus als Ganzes in seiner sensomotorischen Interaktion mit der Welt. Inspiriert von meiner Doktorarbeit schlage ich hier eine ganzheitliche Perspektive vor, die die Rolle der Evolution, der Verkörperung und der Umwelt bei unserer Assoziation von kardinalen Informationen mit Raum berücksichtigt. Diese neue Perspektive erweitert die derzeitigen Ansätze zu SNA sowohl auf konzeptioneller als auch auf methodologischer Ebene. Die Erforschung der Entstehung, Entwicklung und Anpassung der mentalen Repräsentation von Kardinalität ist entscheidend, um effiziente mathematische Fähigkeiten zu entwickeln sowie wirtschaftliche Produktivität, technologischen Fortschritt und eine verbesserte Lebensqualität zu fördern. KW - numerical cognition KW - spatial-numerical associations KW - SNARC effect KW - numerical distance effect KW - hemispheric asymmetry KW - child development KW - visuospatial attention KW - embodied cognition KW - grounded cognition KW - situated cognition KW - numerische Kognition KW - räumlich-numerische Assoziationen KW - SNARC-Effekt KW - numerischer Abstandseffekt KW - hemisphärische Asymmetrie KW - kindliche Entwicklung KW - visuell-räumliche Aufmerksamkeit KW - verkörperte Kognition KW - geerdete („grounded“) Kognition KW - situierte („situated“ Kognition Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-641791 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - de Carvalho Souza, Alyson Matheus A1 - Barrocas, Roberta A1 - Fischer, Martin H. A1 - Arnaud, Emanuel A1 - Moeller, Korbinian A1 - Rennó-Costa, César T1 - Combining virtual reality and tactile stimulation to investigate embodied finger-based numerical representations JF - Frontiers in psychology / Frontiers Research Foundation N2 - Finger-based representation of numbers is a high-level cognitive strategy to assist numerical and arithmetic processing in children and adults. It is unclear whether this paradigm builds on simple perceptual features or comprises several attributes through embodiment. Here we describe the development and initial testing of an experimental setup to study embodiment during a finger-based numerical task using Virtual Reality (VR) and a low-cost tactile stimulator that is easy to build. Using VR allows us to create new ways to study finger-based numerical representation using a virtual hand that can be manipulated in ways our hand cannot, such as decoupling tactile and visual stimuli. The goal is to present a new methodology that can allow researchers to study embodiment through this new approach, maybe shedding new light on the cognitive strategy behind the finger-based representation of numbers. In this case, a critical methodological requirement is delivering precisely targeted sensory stimuli to specific effectors while simultaneously recording their behavior and engaging the participant in a simulated experience. We tested the device's capability by stimulating users in different experimental configurations. Results indicate that our device delivers reliable tactile stimulation to all fingers of a participant's hand without losing motion tracking quality during an ongoing task. This is reflected by an accuracy of over 95% in participants detecting stimulation of a single finger or multiple fingers in sequential stimulation as indicated by experiments with sixteen participants. We discuss possible application scenarios, explain how to apply our methodology to study the embodiment of finger-based numerical representations and other high-level cognitive functions, and discuss potential further developments of the device based on the data obtained in our testing. KW - virtual reality KW - numerical cognition KW - finger counting KW - embodied cognition KW - cognitive science KW - virtual environment Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1119561 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 14 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kühne, Katharina A1 - Nenaschew, Kristina A1 - Miklashevsky, Alex T1 - Space-valence mapping of social concepts BT - Do we arrange negative and positive ethnic stereotypes from left to right? T2 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Introduction: The body-specificity hypothesis states that in right-handers, positive concepts should be associated with the right side and negative concepts with the left side of the body. Following this hypothesis, our study postulated that negative out-group ethnic stereotypes would be associated with the left side, and positive in-group stereotypes would be associated with the right side. Methods: The experiment consisted of two parts. First, we measured the spatial mapping of ethnic stereotypes by using a sensibility judgment task, in which participants had to decide whether a sentence was sensible or not by pressing either a left or a right key. The sentences included German vs. Arabic proper names. Second, we measured implicit ethnic stereotypes in the same participants using the Go/No-go Association Task (GNAT), in which Arabic vs. German proper names were presented in combination with positive vs. negative adjectives. Right-handed German native speakers (N = 92) participated in an online study. Results: As predicted, in the GNAT, participants reacted faster to German names combined with positive adjectives and to Arabic names combined with negative adjectives, which is diagnostic of existing valenced in-and outgroup ethnic stereotypes. However, we failed to find any reliable effects in the sensibility judgment task, i.e., there was no evidence of spatial mapping of positive and negative ethnic stereotypes. There was no correlation between the results of the two tasks at the individual level. Further Bayesian analysis and exploratory analysis in the left-handed subsample (N = 9) corroborated the evidence in favor of null results. Discussion: Our study suggests that ethnic stereotypes are not automatically mapped in a body-specific manner. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 828 KW - body-specificity hypothesis KW - embodied cognition KW - ethnic stereotypes KW - in-group stereotypes KW - implicit associations KW - GNAT KW - out-group stereotypes Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-587556 SN - 1866-8364 IS - 828 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kühne, Katharina A1 - Nenaschew, Kristina A1 - Miklashevsky, Alex T1 - Space-valence mapping of social concepts BT - Do we arrange negative and positive ethnic stereotypes from left to right? JF - Frontiers in Psychology N2 - Introduction: The body-specificity hypothesis states that in right-handers, positive concepts should be associated with the right side and negative concepts with the left side of the body. Following this hypothesis, our study postulated that negative out-group ethnic stereotypes would be associated with the left side, and positive in-group stereotypes would be associated with the right side. Methods: The experiment consisted of two parts. First, we measured the spatial mapping of ethnic stereotypes by using a sensibility judgment task, in which participants had to decide whether a sentence was sensible or not by pressing either a left or a right key. The sentences included German vs. Arabic proper names. Second, we measured implicit ethnic stereotypes in the same participants using the Go/No-go Association Task (GNAT), in which Arabic vs. German proper names were presented in combination with positive vs. negative adjectives. Right-handed German native speakers (N = 92) participated in an online study. Results: As predicted, in the GNAT, participants reacted faster to German names combined with positive adjectives and to Arabic names combined with negative adjectives, which is diagnostic of existing valenced in-and outgroup ethnic stereotypes. However, we failed to find any reliable effects in the sensibility judgment task, i.e., there was no evidence of spatial mapping of positive and negative ethnic stereotypes. There was no correlation between the results of the two tasks at the individual level. Further Bayesian analysis and exploratory analysis in the left-handed subsample (N = 9) corroborated the evidence in favor of null results. Discussion: Our study suggests that ethnic stereotypes are not automatically mapped in a body-specific manner. KW - body-specificity hypothesis KW - embodied cognition KW - ethnic stereotypes KW - in-group stereotypes KW - implicit associations KW - GNAT KW - out-group stereotypes Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1070177 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 13 PB - Frontiers CY - Lausanne, Schweiz ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wiepke, Axel P. A1 - Miklashevsky, Alex T1 - Imaginary Worlds and Their Borders: An Opinion Article JF - Frontiers Media SA KW - imaginary world KW - fiction KW - narrative KW - embodied cognition KW - virtual reality KW - feeling of presence KW - mental simulation Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.793764 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 12 SP - 1 EP - 2 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne, Schweiz ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Musculus, Lisa A1 - Tünte, Markus R. A1 - Raab, Markus A1 - Kayhan, Ezgi T1 - An Embodied Cognition Perspective on the Role of Interoception in the Development of the Minimal Self JF - Frontiers in Psychology N2 - Interoception is an often neglected but crucial aspect of the human minimal self. In this perspective, we extend the embodiment account of interoceptive inference to explain the development of the minimal self in humans. To do so, we first provide a comparative overview of the central accounts addressing the link between interoception and the minimal self. Grounding our arguments on the embodiment framework, we propose a bidirectional relationship between motor and interoceptive states, which jointly contribute to the development of the minimal self. We present empirical findings on interoception in development and discuss the role of interoception in the development of the minimal self. Moreover, we make theoretical predictions that can be tested in future experiments. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive view on the mechanisms underlying the minimal self by explaining the role of interoception in the development of the minimal self. KW - interoception KW - development of minimal self KW - cardioception KW - embodied cognition KW - bodily self Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.716950 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 12 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Miklashevsky, Alex A1 - Lindemann, Oliver A1 - Fischer, Martin H. T1 - The force of numbers BT - Investigating manual signatures of embodied number processing JF - Frontiers in human neuroscience / Frontiers Research Foundation N2 - The study has two objectives: (1) to introduce grip force recording as a new technique for studying embodied numerical processing; and (2) to demonstrate how three competing accounts of numerical magnitude representation can be tested by using this new technique: the Mental Number Line (MNL), A Theory of Magnitude (ATOM) and Embodied Cognition (finger counting-based) account. While 26 healthy adults processed visually presented single digits in a go/no-go n-back paradigm, their passive holding forces for two small sensors were recorded in both hands. Spontaneous and unconscious grip force changes related to number magnitude occurred in the left hand already 100-140 ms after stimulus presentation and continued systematically. Our results support a two-step model of number processing where an initial stage is related to the automatic activation of all stimulus properties whereas a later stage consists of deeper conscious processing of the stimulus. This interpretation generalizes previous work with linguistic stimuli and elaborates the timeline of embodied cognition. We hope that the use of grip force recording will advance the field of numerical cognition research. KW - ATOM KW - embodied cognition KW - finger counting KW - grip force KW - mental number KW - line KW - number processing KW - numerical cognition Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.590508 SN - 1662-5161 VL - 14 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - GEN A1 - Wiepke, Axel P. A1 - Miklashevsky, Alex T1 - Imaginary Worlds and Their Borders: An Opinion Article T2 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 767 KW - imaginary world KW - fiction KW - narrative KW - embodied cognition KW - virtual reality KW - feeling of presence KW - mental simulation Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-550991 SN - 1866-8364 VL - 12 SP - 1 EP - 2 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - GEN A1 - Musculus, Lisa A1 - Tünte, Markus R. A1 - Raab, Markus A1 - Kayhan, Ezgi T1 - An Embodied Cognition Perspective on the Role of Interoception in the Development of the Minimal Self T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Interoception is an often neglected but crucial aspect of the human minimal self. In this perspective, we extend the embodiment account of interoceptive inference to explain the development of the minimal self in humans. To do so, we first provide a comparative overview of the central accounts addressing the link between interoception and the minimal self. Grounding our arguments on the embodiment framework, we propose a bidirectional relationship between motor and interoceptive states, which jointly contribute to the development of the minimal self. We present empirical findings on interoception in development and discuss the role of interoception in the development of the minimal self. Moreover, we make theoretical predictions that can be tested in future experiments. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive view on the mechanisms underlying the minimal self by explaining the role of interoception in the development of the minimal self. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 755 KW - interoception KW - development of minimal self KW - cardioception KW - embodied cognition KW - bodily self Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-544978 SN - 1866-8364 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Jeglinski-Mende, Melinda A. A1 - Schmidt, Hendrikje T1 - Psychotherapy in the Framework of Embodied Cognition BT - Does Interpersonal Synchrony Influence Therapy Success? T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Mental health problems remain among the main generators of costs within and beyond the health care system. Psychotherapy, the tool of choice in their treatment, is qualified by social interaction, and cooperation within the therapist-patient-dyad. Research into the factors influencing therapy success to date is neither exhaustive nor conclusive. Among many others, the quality of the relationship between therapist and patient stands out regardless of the followed psychotherapy school. Emerging research points to a connection between interpersonal synchronization within the sessions and therapy outcome. Consequently, it can be considered significant for the shaping of this relationship. The framework of Embodied Cognition assumes bodily and neuronal correlates of thinking. Therefore, the present paper reviews investigations on interpersonal, non-verbal synchrony in two domains: firstly, studies on interpersonal synchrony in psychotherapy are reviewed (synchronization of movement). Secondly, findings on neurological correlates of interpersonal synchrony (assessed with EEG, fMRI, fNIRS) are summarized in a narrative manner. In addition, the question is asked whether interpersonal synchrony can be achieved voluntarily on an individual level. It is concluded that there might be mechanisms which could give more insights into therapy success, but as of yet remain uninvestigated. Further, the framework of embodied cognition applies more to the current body of evidence than classical cognitivist views. Nevertheless, deeper research into interpersonal physical and neurological processes utilizing the framework of Embodied Cognition emerges as a possible route of investigation on the road to lower drop-out rates, improved and quality-controlled therapeutic interventions, thereby significantly reducing healthcare costs. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 708 KW - psychotherapy KW - embodied cognition KW - hyperscanning KW - motion energy analysis KW - neurofeedback KW - EEG KW - fMRI KW - fNIRS Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-503162 SN - 1866-8364 IS - 708 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jeglinski-Mende, Melinda A. A1 - Schmidt, Hendrikje T1 - Psychotherapy in the Framework of Embodied Cognition BT - Does Interpersonal Synchrony Influence Therapy Success? JF - Frontiers in Psychiatry N2 - Mental health problems remain among the main generators of costs within and beyond the health care system. Psychotherapy, the tool of choice in their treatment, is qualified by social interaction, and cooperation within the therapist-patient-dyad. Research into the factors influencing therapy success to date is neither exhaustive nor conclusive. Among many others, the quality of the relationship between therapist and patient stands out regardless of the followed psychotherapy school. Emerging research points to a connection between interpersonal synchronization within the sessions and therapy outcome. Consequently, it can be considered significant for the shaping of this relationship. The framework of Embodied Cognition assumes bodily and neuronal correlates of thinking. Therefore, the present paper reviews investigations on interpersonal, non-verbal synchrony in two domains: firstly, studies on interpersonal synchrony in psychotherapy are reviewed (synchronization of movement). Secondly, findings on neurological correlates of interpersonal synchrony (assessed with EEG, fMRI, fNIRS) are summarized in a narrative manner. In addition, the question is asked whether interpersonal synchrony can be achieved voluntarily on an individual level. It is concluded that there might be mechanisms which could give more insights into therapy success, but as of yet remain uninvestigated. Further, the framework of embodied cognition applies more to the current body of evidence than classical cognitivist views. Nevertheless, deeper research into interpersonal physical and neurological processes utilizing the framework of Embodied Cognition emerges as a possible route of investigation on the road to lower drop-out rates, improved and quality-controlled therapeutic interventions, thereby significantly reducing healthcare costs. KW - psychotherapy KW - embodied cognition KW - hyperscanning KW - motion energy analysis KW - neurofeedback KW - EEG KW - fMRI KW - fNIRS Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.562490 SN - 1664-0640 VL - 12 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Miklashevsky, Alex A1 - Kulkova, Elena A1 - Michirev, Alexej A1 - Jeglinski-Mende, Melinda A. A1 - Bertonatti, Matias T1 - Book review on: Raab, Markus: Judgment, decision-making, and embodied choices. - London ; San Diego ; Cambridge, MA ; Oxford: Academic Press, 2020. - xv, 155 pages. - ISBN: 978-0-12-823523-2 JF - Frontiers in psychology KW - embodied cognition KW - decision making KW - embodied choice KW - book review KW - mind-body Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.665728 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 12 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Belli, Francesco A1 - Felisatti, Arianna A1 - Fischer, Martin H. T1 - "BreaThink" BT - breathing affects production and perception of quantities JF - Experimental brain research N2 - Cognition is shaped by signals from outside and within the body. Following recent evidence of interoceptive signals modulating higher-level cognition, we examined whether breathing changes the production and perception of quantities. In Experiment 1, 22 adults verbally produced on average larger random numbers after inhaling than after exhaling. In Experiment 2, 24 further adults estimated the numerosity of dot patterns that were briefly shown after either inhaling or exhaling. Again, we obtained on average larger responses following inhalation than exhalation. These converging results extend models of situated cognition according to which higher-level cognition is sensitive to transient interoceptive states. KW - breathing KW - embodied cognition KW - interoception KW - numerical cognition KW - situated cognition Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-021-06147-z SN - 0014-4819 SN - 1432-1106 VL - 239 IS - 8 SP - 2489 EP - 2499 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schmidt, Hendrikje A1 - Felisatti, Arianna A1 - Aster, Michael von A1 - Wilbert, Jürgen A1 - Moers, Arpad von A1 - Fischer, Martin H. T1 - Neuromuscular Diseases Affect Number Representation and Processing BT - An Exploratory Study T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) both are rare genetic neuromuscular diseases with progressive loss of motor ability. The neuromotor developmental course of those diseases is well documented. In contrast, there is only little evidence about characteristics of general and specific cognitive development. In both conditions the final motor outcome is characterized by an inability to move autonomously: children with SMA never accomplish independent motoric exploration of their environment, while children with DMD do but later lose this ability again. These profound differences in developmental pathways might affect cognitive development of SMA vs. DMD children, as cognition is shaped by individual motor experiences. DMD patients show impaired executive functions, working memory, and verbal IQ, whereas only motor ability seems to be impaired in SMA. Advanced cognitive capacity in SMA may serve as a compensatory mechanism for achieving in education, career progression, and social satisfaction. This study aimed to relate differences in basic numerical concepts and arithmetic achievement in SMA and DMD patients to differences in their motor development and resulting sensorimotor and environmental experiences. Horizontal and vertical spatial-numerical associations were explored in SMA/DMD children ranging between 6 and 12 years through the random number generation task. Furthermore, arithmetic skills as well as general cognitive ability were assessed. Groups differed in spatial number processing as well as in arithmetic and domain-general cognitive functions. Children with SMA showed no horizontal and even reversed vertical spatial-numerical associations. Children with DMD on the other hand revealed patterns in spatial numerical associations comparable to healthy developing children. From the embodied Cognition perspective, early sensorimotor experience does play a role in development of mental number representations. However, it remains open whether and how this becomes relevant for the acquisition of higher order cognitive and arithmetic skills. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 718 KW - spatial-numerical associations KW - numerical processing KW - mathematics KW - child development KW - embodied cognition KW - neuromuscular disease KW - spinal muscular atrophy KW - Duchenne muscular dystrophy Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-522312 SN - 1866-8364 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmidt, Hendrikje A1 - Felisatti, Arianna A1 - Aster, Michael von A1 - Wilbert, Jürgen A1 - Moers, Arpad von A1 - Fischer, Martin H. T1 - Neuromuscular diseases affect number representation and processing BT - An exploratory study JF - Frontiers in psychology / Frontiers Research Foundation N2 - Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) both are rare genetic neuromuscular diseases with progressive loss of motor ability. The neuromotor developmental course of those diseases is well documented. In contrast, there is only little evidence about characteristics of general and specific cognitive development. In both conditions the final motor outcome is characterized by an inability to move autonomously: children with SMA never accomplish independent motoric exploration of their environment, while children with DMD do but later lose this ability again. These profound differences in developmental pathways might affect cognitive development of SMA vs. DMD children, as cognition is shaped by individual motor experiences. DMD patients show impaired executive functions, working memory, and verbal IQ, whereas only motor ability seems to be impaired in SMA. Advanced cognitive capacity in SMA may serve as a compensatory mechanism for achieving in education, career progression, and social satisfaction. This study aimed to relate differences in basic numerical concepts and arithmetic achievement in SMA and DMD patients to differences in their motor development and resulting sensorimotor and environmental experiences. Horizontal and vertical spatial-numerical associations were explored in SMA/DMD children ranging between 6 and 12 years through the random number generation task. Furthermore, arithmetic skills as well as general cognitive ability were assessed. Groups differed in spatial number processing as well as in arithmetic and domain-general cognitive functions. Children with SMA showed no horizontal and even reversed vertical spatial-numerical associations. Children with DMD on the other hand revealed patterns in spatial numerical associations comparable to healthy developing children. From the embodied Cognition perspective, early sensorimotor experience does play a role in development of mental number representations. However, it remains open whether and how this becomes relevant for the acquisition of higher order cognitive and arithmetic skills. KW - spatial-numerical associations KW - numerical processing KW - mathematics KW - child development KW - embodied cognition KW - neuromuscular disease KW - spinal muscular atrophy KW - Duchenne muscular dystrophy Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.697881 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 12 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hatukai, Tatiana A1 - Algom, Daniel A1 - Fischer, Martin H. T1 - Rodin has it! BT - the role of hands in improving the selectivity of attention JF - Acta psychologica : international journal of psychonomics N2 - We report a new discovery on the role of hands in guiding attention, using the classic Stroop effect as our assay. We show that the Stroop effect diminishes, hence selective attention improves, when observers hold their chin, emulating Rodin's famous sculpture, "The Thinker." In two experiments we show that the Rodin posture improves the selectivity of attention as efficiently as holding the hands nearby the visual stimulus (the near-hands effect). Because spatial proximity to the displayed stimulus is neither present nor intended, the presence of the Rodin effect implies that attentional prioritization by the hands is not limited to the space between the hands. KW - Rodin posture KW - attention KW - embodied cognition KW - stroop-effect Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2020.103160 SN - 0001-6918 SN - 1873-6297 VL - 210 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam [u.a.] ER - TY - GEN A1 - Felisatti, Arianna A1 - Laubrock, Jochen A1 - Shaki, Samuel A1 - Fischer, Martin H. T1 - Commentary BT - A mental number line in human newborns T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 620 KW - spatial-numerical associations KW - SNARC KW - mental number line (MNL) KW - spatial frequency (SF) KW - temporal frequency KW - hemispheric asymmetry KW - newborns KW - embodied cognition Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-460413 SN - 1866-8364 IS - 620 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Felisatti, Arianna A1 - Laubrock, Jochen A1 - Shaki, Samuel A1 - Fischer, Martin H. T1 - Commentary BT - A mental number line in human newborns JF - Frontiers in Human Neuroscience KW - spatial-numerical associations KW - SNARC KW - mental number line (MNL) KW - spatial frequency (SF) KW - temporal frequency KW - hemispheric asymmetry KW - newborns KW - embodied cognition Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00099 SN - 1662-5161 VL - 14 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Felisatti, Arianna A1 - Aagten-Murphy, David A1 - Laubrock, Jochen A1 - Shaki, Samuel A1 - Fischer, Martin H. T1 - The brain’s asymmetric frequency tuning BT - asymmetric behavior originates from asymmetric perception JF - Symmetry / Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI) N2 - To construct a coherent multi-modal percept, vertebrate brains extract low-level features (such as spatial and temporal frequencies) from incoming sensory signals. However, because frequency processing is lateralized with the right hemisphere favouring low frequencies while the left favours higher frequencies, this introduces asymmetries between the hemispheres. Here, we describe how this lateralization shapes the development of several cognitive domains, ranging from visuo-spatial and numerical cognition to language, social cognition, and even aesthetic appreciation, and leads to the emergence of asymmetries in behaviour. We discuss the neuropsychological and educational implications of these emergent asymmetries and suggest future research approaches. KW - asymmetry KW - global KW - local KW - spatial frequencies KW - temporal frequencies KW - embodied cognition Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/sym12122083 SN - 2073-8994 VL - 12 IS - 12 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - GEN A1 - Fischer, Martin H. A1 - Miklashevsky, Alex A. A1 - Shaki, Samuel T1 - Commentary : The Developmental Trajectory of the Operational Momentum Effect T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 502 KW - embodied cognition KW - operational momentum KW - SNARC effect KW - mental arithmetic KW - numerical cognition Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-423169 SN - 1866-8364 N1 - A Commentary on The Developmental Trajectory of the Operational Momentum Effect by Pinheiro-Chagas, P., Didino, D., Haase, V. G., Wood, G., and Knops, A. (2018). Front. Psychol. 9:1062 doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01062 IS - 502 ER -