Do nimble hands make for nimble lexicons? Fine motor skills predict knowledge of embodied vocabulary items

Abstract

Theories and research in embodied cognition postulate that cognition grounded in action enjoys a processing advantage. Extending this theory to the study of how fine motor skills (FMS) link to vocabulary development in preschool children, the authors investigated FMS and vocabulary in 76 preschoolers. Building on previous research, they hypothesized that links between FMS and vocabulary were driven by lexical items containing a greater body-object interaction (BOI). After controlling for age and part of speech (i.e., nouns vs. verbs), results indicated that FMS explained a similar amount of variance in BOI vocabulary as general vocabulary did. Mediation analyses indicated that the relation between FMS and general vocabulary was mediated by BOI vocabulary. To the authors' knowledge, this study provides the first evidence that FMS play a role in BOI vocabulary development in the preschool period.

Counting on fine motor skills: links between preschool finger dexterity and numerical skills

“…Therefore, our findings are in line with previous work suggesting that FMS contributes to cognitive development beyond effects of maturation (Grissmer et al., ; Suggate & Stoeger, ). However, they also lend weight to the assumption that the relationship between FMS and mathematics reported in other studies (Luo et al., ; Pitchford et al., ; Son & Meisels, ) could be due to an early effect of FMS on children's counting skills.…”

“…This adds to the emerging field of embodied numerosity (Domahs et al, 2010;Moeller et al, 2012) that suggests an association between finger representations and numerical processing, not just at a behavioral but also at a neural level (Andres et al, 2007). Especially in light of research on associations between FMS and other variables such as reading or cognitive abilities (Suggate et al, 2016;Suggate & Stoeger, 2014, this study therefore highlights the importance of supporting fine motor development in preschool children.…”

“…Prior to testing our hypotheses, a factor analysis (principal components analysis) was used to create a general estimate of FMS (similar to the analysis reported by Suggate & Stoeger, ). A single factor solution appeared optimal based on eigenvalues greater than 1.0, explaining 71.36% of the variance in the FMS measures.…”

Do fine motor skills contribute to early reading development?

“…According to this idea, both cognitive skills and FMS undergo sharp development in early childhood, which may give rise to spurious behavioural links that are in reality driven by maturation (Martzog, ). This idea is supported through the large predictive role that chronological age plays in both FMS and cognitive skills – however, links still exist above and beyond age (e.g., Martzog, ; Suggate & Stoeger, ). Other theories have focused on neural substrates, pointing out the proximity of motor and speech areas or the joint involvement of regions in both FMS and cognitive skills (Diamond, ; James & Gauthier, ).…”

Embodied Cognition: Laying the Foundation for Early Language and Literacy Learning

“…Achievement data in early literacy learning (Alberta Education, 2014; Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000 indicate two concerning trends: overall, general slippage in early literacy development outcomes and, secondly, a persistent and growing achievement gap over time in the shift to academic literacy development among linguistically vulnerable populations of children including those raised in poverty or of language minority background. Emergent research findings suggest the etiological underpinnings to these trends may be found in children's control over fine motor skills and their influence on language learning as these are the major drivers of literacy development over time (Suggate & Stoeger, 2014).…”