The interplay between pointing gestures and executive functions in early numeracy development: a longitudinal study

• Martina Taruscia ^[1] ; Alessandro Cuder ^[1] ; Carlotta Nordio ^[1] ; Cinzia Chiandetti ^[1] ; Maria Chiara Passolunghi ^[1] ; Sandra Pellizzoni ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Trieste

     University of Trieste

     Trieste, Italia

     
• Localización: European Journal of Psychology of Education, ISSN-e 1878-5174, ISSN 0256-2928, Vol. 40, Nº 4, 2025
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1007/s10212-025-01028-3
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The role of fingers in early numerical learning has been extensively investigated, primarily focusing on how children use their fingers to represent quantities while solving arithmetic problems. However, less attention has been paid to the use of pointing gestures (i.e., the strategy of using fingers to mark or point to elements within a set during counting) among preschoolers, evaluating its interplay with domain-general cognitive precursors and its influence on the development of foundational early numeracy abilities for formal education, such as cardinality knowledge. To address this issue, a sample of preschool children was assessed through a longitudinal design, with the aim of evaluating both the unique contribution and the interplay of pointing gestures and domain-general precursors (i.e., working memory and inhibition) in the development of cardinality knowledge. Results showed that children with weaker inhibition benefit more from pointing gestures concurrently, while in the long term, children with stronger working memory skills gain a greater advantage from using pointing gestures to support their cardinality knowledge development. These findings highlight the interplay between domain-general cognitive factors and pointing gestures in supporting early numeracy development. Theoretical and educational insights for effective prevention practices are also discussed.

• Referencias bibliográficas
  • Alibali, M. W., & DiRusso, A. A. (1999). The function of gesture in learning to count: More than keeping track. Cognitixcve Development,...
  • Aunio, P., & Niemivirta, M. (2010). Predicting children’s mathematical performance in grade one by early numeracy. Learning and Individual...
  • Aunola, K., Leskinen, E., Onatsu-Arvilommi, T., & Nurmi, J. (2002). Three methods for studying developmental change: A case of reading...
  • Aunola, K., Leskinen, E., Lerkkanen, M.-K., & Nurmi, J.-E. (2004). Developmental dynamics of math performance from preschool to grade...
  • Baddeley, A. (2000). The episodic buffer: A new component of working memory? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4(11), 417–423. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1364-6613(00)01538-2
  • Baddeley, A. D., & Hitch, G. (1974). Working Memory. In Psychology of Learning and Motivation 8, pp. 47–89. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-7421(08)60452-1
  • Badets, A., Pesenti, M., & Olivier, E. (2010). Response–effect compatibility of finger–numeral configurations in arithmetical context....
  • Bast, J., & Reitsma, P. (1997). Mathew effects in reading: A comparison of latent growth curve models and simplex models with structured...
  • Blair, C., Knipe, H., & Gamson, D. (2008). Is there a role for executive functions in the development of mathematics ability? Mind, Brain,...
  • Boysen, S. T., Berntson, G. G., Shreyer, T. A., & Hannan, M. B. (1995). Indicating acts during counting by a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)....
  • Bull, R., & Scerif, G. (2001). Executive functioning as a predictor of children’s mathematics ability: Inhibition, switching, and working...
  • Bull, R., Espy, K. A., & Wiebe, S. A. (2008). Short-term memory, working memory, and executive functioning in preschoolers: Longitudinal...
  • Bynner, J. M. (1997). Basic skills in adolescents’ occupational preparation. The Career Development Quarterly, 45(4), 305–321. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.1997.tb00536.x
  • Camos, V. (2003). Counting strategies from 5 years to adulthood: Adaptation to structural features. European Journal of Psychology of Education,...
  • Carlson, S. M., & Moses, L. J. (2001). Individual differences in inhibitory control and children’s theory of mind. Child Development,...
  • Cragg, L., & Gilmore, C. (2014). Skills underlying mathematics: The role of executive function in the development of mathematics proficiency....
  • Cragg, L., Keeble, S., Richardson, S., Roome, H. E., & Gilmore, C. (2017a). Direct and indirect influences of executive functions on mathematics...
  • Cragg, L., Richardson, S., Hubber, P. J., Keeble, S., & Gilmore, C. (2017b). When is working memory important for arithmetic? The impact...
  • Crollen, V., & Noël, M.-P. (2015). The role of fingers in the development of counting and arithmetic skills. Acta Psychologica, 156, 37–44....
  • de Chambrier, A.-F., Thevenot, C., Barrouillet, P., & Zesiger, P. (2018). Frequency of finger looking during finger counting is related...
  • De Smedt, B., Janssen, R., Bouwens, K., Verschaffel, L., Boets, B., & Ghesquière, P. (2009). Working memory and individual differences...
  • De Vita, C., Costa, H. M., Tomasetto, C., & Passolunghi, M. C. (2022). The contributions of working memory domains and processes to early...
  • Di Luca, S., & Pesenti, M. (2008). Masked priming effect with canonical finger numeral configurations. Experimental Brain Research, 185(1),...
  • Di Luca, S., Granà, A., Semenza, C., Seron, X., & Pesenti, M. (2006). Finger–digit compatibility in Arabic numeral processing. Quarterly...
  • Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64(1), 135–168. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750
  • Domahs, F., Moeller, K., Huber, S., Willmes, K., & Nuerk, H.-C. (2010). Embodied numerosity: Implicit hand-based representations influence...
  • Dougherty, C. (2003). Numeracy, literacy and earnings: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Economics of Education Review,...
  • Dowker, A. (2008). Individual differences in numerical abilities in preschoolers. Developmental Science, 11(5), 650–654. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00713.x
  • Dupont-Boime, J., & Thevenot, C. (2018). High working memory capacity favours the use of finger counting in six-year-old children. Journal...
  • Emslander, V., & Scherer, R. (2022). The relation between executive functions and math intelligence in preschool children: A systematic...
  • Engle, R. W. (2010). Role of working-memory capacity in cognitive control. Current Anthropology, 51, 17–26. https://doi.org/10.1086/650572
  • Engle, R. W., Tuholski, S. W., Laughlin, J. E., & Conway, A. R. (1999). Working memory, short-term memory, and general fluid intelligence:...
  • Espy, K. A., McDiarmid, M. M., Cwik, M. F., Stalets, M. M., Hamby, A., & Senn, T. E. (2004). The contribution of executive functions to...
  • Friedman, N. P., & Miyake, A. (2004). The relations among inhibition and interference control functions: A latent-variable analysis. Journal...
  • Furlong, M., McLoughlin, F., McGilloway, S., & Geary, D. (2016). Interventions to improve mathematical performance for children with mathematical...
  • Gandolfi, E., Viterbori, P., Traverso, L., & Usai, M. C. (2014). Inhibitory processes in toddlers: A latent variable approach. Frontiers...
  • Gathercole, S. E., Pickering, S. J., Knight, C., & Stegmann, Z. (2004). Working memory skills and educational attainment: Evidence from...
  • Gathercole, S. E., Lamont, E., & Alloway, T. P. (2006). Working Memory in the Classroom. In Working Memory and Education (pp. 219–240)....
  • Geary, D. C., & vanMarle, K. (2018). Growth of symbolic number knowledge accelerates after children understand cardinality. Cognition,...
  • Geary, D. C., vanMarle, K., Chu, F. W., Rouder, J., Hoard, M. K., & Nugent, L. (2018). Early conceptual understanding of cardinality predicts...
  • Geary, D. C., vanMarle, K., Chu, F. W., Hoard, M. K., & Nugent, L. (2019). Predicting age of becoming a cardinal principle knower. Journal...
  • Gelman, R., & Gallistel, C. R. (1986). The child’s understanding of number. Harvard University Press.
  • Gerardi, K., Goette, L., & Meier, S. (2013). Numerical ability predicts mortgage default. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...
  • Gibson, D. J., Gunderson, E. A., Spaepen, E., Levine, S. C., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2019). Number gestures predict learning of number words....
  • Gilmore, C., Keeble, S., Richardson, S., & Cragg, L. (2015). The role of cognitive inhibition in different components of arithmetic. Zentralblatt...
  • Gordon, R., & Ramani, G. B. (2021). Integrating embodied cognition and information processing: A combined model of the role of gesture...
  • Gordon, R., Chernyak, N., & Cordes, S. (2019). Get to the point: Preschoolers’ spontaneous gesture use during a cardinality task. Cognitive...
  • Gordon, R., Scalise, N. R., & Ramani, G. B. (2021). Give yourself a hand: The role of gesture and working memory in preschoolers’ numerical...
  • Graham, T. A. (1999). The role of gesture in children’s learning to count. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 74(4), 333–355. https://doi.org/10.1006/jecp.1999.2520
  • Gray, S. A., & Reeve, R. A. (2014). Preschoolers’ dot enumeration abilities are markers of their arithmetic competence. Plos One, 9(4),...
  • Karr, J. E., Areshenkoff, C. N., Rast, P., Hofer, S. M., Iverson, G. L., & Garcia-Barrera, M. A. (2018). The unity and diversity of executive...
  • Koponen, T., Aunola, K., & Nurmi, J.-E. (2019). Verbal counting skill predicts later math performance and difficulties in middle school....
  • Krajewski, K., & Schneider, W. (2009). Exploring the impact of phonological awareness, visual–spatial working memory, and preschool quantity–number...
  • Lafay, A., Thevenot, C., Castel, C., & Fayol, M. (2013). The role of fingers in number processing in young children. Frontiers in Psychology,...
  • Lanfranchi, S., Cornoldi, C., & Vianello, R. (2004). Verbal and visuospatial working memory deficits in children with Down syndrome. American...
  • Le Corre, M., & Carey, S. (2007). One, two, three, four, nothing more: An investigation of the conceptual sources of the verbal counting...
  • Li, H., Di, H., Duan, B., Luo, M., Wang, Y., & Wang, Z. (2024). Executive function and young children’s cardinality principle: The mediating...
  • Litkowski, E. C., Duncan, R. J., Logan, J. A. R., & Purpura, D. J. (2020). When do preschoolers learn specific mathematics skills? Mapping...
  • Marzocchi, G. M., & Valagussa, S. (2011). Le funzioni esecutive in età evolutiva: Modelli neuropsicologici, strumenti diagnostici, interventi...
  • McLean, J. F., & Hitch, G. J. (1999). Working memory impairments in children with specific arithmetic learning difficulties. Journal of...
  • Miller, M. R., Giesbrecht, G. F., Müller, U., McInerney, R. J., & Kerns, K. A. (2012). A latent variable approach to determining the structure...
  • Mix, K. S., Sandhofer, C. M., Moore, J. A., & Russell, C. (2012). Acquisition of the cardinal word principle: The role of input. Early...
  • Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive...
  • Monette, S., Bigras, M., & Lafrenière, M. A. (2015). Structure of executive functions in typically developing kindergartners. Journal...
  • Morosini, G., Cuder, A., De Vita, C., Passolunghi, M. C., & Pellizzoni, S. (2025). The relationship between executive functions and early...
  • Nelson, J. M., James, T. D., Chevalier, N., Clark, C. A. C., & Espy, K. A. (2016). Structure, measurement, and development of preschool...
  • Ng, F. F. Y., Tamis-LeMonda, C., Yoshikawa, H., & Sze, I. N. L. (2015). Inhibitory control in preschool predicts early math skills in...
  • Nguyen, T., Watts, T. W., Duncan, G. J., Clements, D. H., Sarama, J. S., Wolfe, C., & Spitler, M. E. (2016). Which preschool mathematics...
  • OECD (2023). PISA 2022 Results (Volume I): The State of Learning and Equity in Education. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development....
  • Orrantia, J., Muñez, D., Sanchez, R., & Matilla, L. (2022). Supporting the understanding of cardinal number knowledge in preschoolers:...
  • Paliwal, V., & Baroody, A. J. (2018). How best to teach the cardinality principle? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 44, 152–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.03.012
  • Passolunghi, M. C., & Costa, H. M. (2016). Working memory and early numeracy training in preschool children. Child Neuropsychology, 22(1),...
  • Passolunghi, M. C., & Lanfranchi, S. (2012). Domain‐specific and domain‐general precursors of mathematical achievement: A longitudinal...
  • Pellizzoni, S., Cuder, A., De Vita, C., & Passolunghi, M. C. (2024). Exploring the effect of numerical video training on at-risk preschool...
  • Pellizzoni, S., Granello, F., Cuder, A., Doz, E., & Passolunghi, M. C. (2025). Longitudinal relationships between visuospatial working...
  • Purpura, D. J., Schmitt, S. A., & Ganley, C. M. (2017). Foundations of mathematics and literacy: The role of executive functioning components....
  • Qi, Y., Chen, Y., Yang, X., & Hao, Y. (2023). How does working memory matter in young children’s arithmetic skills: The mediating role...
  • Reeve, R., & Humberstone, J. (2011). Five- to 7-year-olds’ finger gnosia and calculation abilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, Article...
  • Rivera-Batiz, F. L. (1992). Quantitative literacy and the likelihood of employment among young adults in the United States. The Journal of...
  • Robinson, K. M., & Dubé, A. K. (2013). Children’s additive concepts: Promoting understanding and the role of inhibition. Learning and...
  • Rugani, R. (2018). Towards numerical cognition’s origin: Insights from day-old domestic chicks. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society...
  • Traverso, L., Tonizzi, I., Usai, M. C., & Viterbori, P. (2021). The relationship of working memory and inhibition with different number...
  • Usai, M. C., Viterbori, P., Traverso, L., & De Franchis, V. (2014). Latent structure of executive function in five-and six-year-old children:...
  • Vallortigara, G., Chiandetti, C., Rugani, R., Sovrano, V. A., & Regolin, L. (2010). Animal cognition. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews:...
  • Van Marle, K., Chu, F. W., Li, Y., & Geary, D. C. (2014). Acuity of the approximate number system and preschoolers’ quantitative development....
  • Viterbori, P., Usai, M. C., Traverso, L., & De Franchis, V. (2015). How preschool executive functioning predicts several aspects of math...
  • Welsh, M. C. (2002). Developmental and clinical variations in executive functions. In Developmental variations in learning: Applications to...
  • Xing, X., Wei, Y., & Wang, M. (2022). Reciprocal relation between executive function and receptive vocabulary in Chinese preschoolers:...