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Effect of combined motor and spatial cues on mathematical reasoning: a polarity correspondence account

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Abstract

We examined whether combined motor or spatial polarities could influence accuracy in two mathematical operations. Four experiments were conducted and showed that, when two corresponding polarities were activated, accuracy in multiplicative operations was greater than when non-corresponding polarities were activated, whereas no effect was found for additive operations. These results were established with motor cues (Left/Right and Arm Extension/Flexion, as behavioral approach-avoidance tendencies) and perceptual spatial cues (Left/Right and DOWN/UP cues). A polarity correspondence effect was established and proposed for multiplication. A combination of polarities was associated with a corresponding combination of numerical digits, assessed with mathematical operations, such as multiplication.

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Acknowledgments

We thank R. Sanz, Jeremy Hébert, Jéremie Vic-Accariès and Nadine Clémencet for their technical assistance.

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    1. U. F. R. STAPS, Université Paris Ouest, Nanterre, France

      Hélène Verselder, Sébastien Freddi & Vincent Dru

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    1. Hélène Verselder
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    2. Sébastien Freddi
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    3. Vincent Dru
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    Correspondence to Vincent Dru.

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    All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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    H. Verselder, S. Freddi, and V. Dru contributed equally to this research.

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    Verselder, H., Freddi, S. & Dru, V. Effect of combined motor and spatial cues on mathematical reasoning: a polarity correspondence account. Psychological Research 81, 910–924 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-016-0799-5

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