Role of Fingers in Adults' Numerical Processing

Finger gnosis, the ability to mentally represent one’s fingers, has been shown to predict mathematical ability in children. More recently, researchers have shown that this relation holds for college students as well. In the current study, I sought to replicate and extend the finding that finger gnosis is a predictor of mathematic ability in young adults. To replicate these findings, the relation was assessed utilizing a simple math task that assessed calculation fluency. I attempted to extend past research by also assessing the relation between finger gnosis and a more complex test of mathematical ability, the SAT mathematics test. Additionally, I examined the relation between finger gnosis and both symbolic and non-symbolic measures of numerical magnitude, using a number line estimation task and the dots task, respectively. Finally, memory-based strategy use was tested as a mediator of the relation between finger gnosis and calculation fluency. Results replicate the previous finding that finger gnosis predicts calculation fluency in adults; however, finger gnosis was not a predictor of SAT math performance. Additionally, finger gnosis was a predictor of symbolic but not non-symbolic numerical magnitude estimation. Finally, although I found a relation between finger gnosis and both calculation fluency and use of memory-based strategy, memory-based strategy did not mediate the relation between finger gnosis and calculation fluency.