Numerical cognition and motor skills: Correlational research in children aged 7 to 11 years

Anobile, Arrighi, Castaldi, and Burr (2021) proposed a novel perspective on numeracy development, suggesting that it could be an inherent sensorimotor skill. The existing literature offers encouraging indications regarding the potential role of motor skills in the development of numerosity perception and mathematical abilities, but the fundamental aspects of this interaction have not been sufficiently investigated to provide a comprehensive and unified understanding. The current study thus aimed to contribute to the identification of the link between non-numerical sensorimotor skills and mathematical abilities. Using a correlational approach, we administered psychophysical and neuropsychological tests to 24 children aged 7 to 11 years to assess fine and gross sensorimotor abilities, various mathematical skills, and the motor production skill of numerosity. The results indicated a positive correlation between the overall scores of motor ability and mathematical skills, confirming previous studies that had established a mutually influential relationship between the constructs, both in typically developing populations and in individuals with developmental disabilities. In addition, a correlation was observed between fine motor skill and the degree of accuracy of the psychophysical test, which supports the hypothesis of a “sensorimotor numerosity system”. Furthermore, we found a specific correlation between the motor sub-skill of balance and the math sub-skill of mental computation, which suggests a potential co-occurrence of automated processes related to the cerebellum.