Just as our body movements can affect our state of mind, the cognitive relevance of directed actions can have an impact on mathematical reasoning. In this study, researchers investigate how certain body states are connected to math concepts in order to advance theories of grounded and embodied cognition. They test different hypotheses about the relationship between directed actions and mathematical performance, including the direct cognitive relevance hypothesis, the mediated cognitive relevance hypothesis, and the moderated cognitive relevance hypothesis. Through an experiment involving high school students playing a movement-based video game, the researchers find that while there were no overall differences in performance or gesture production between relevant and irrelevant conditions, cognitive relevance did influence mathematical performance when certain types of gestures were produced during mathematical explanations. This suggests that our physical actions can shape our mental processes when it comes to mathematical reasoning. The findings have implications for understanding the connection between body and mind in learning and could inform the development of new educational interventions. To dive deeper into this fascinating research, check out the full article!

Abstract
Theories of grounded and embodied cognition offer a range of accounts of how reasoning and body-based processes are related to each other. To advance theories of grounded and embodied cognition, we explore the cognitive relevance of particular body states to associated math concepts. We test competing models of action-cognition transduction to investigate the cognitive relevance of directed actions to students’ mathematical reasoning in the area of geometry. The hypotheses we test include (1) that cognitively relevant directed actions have a direct effect on performance (direct cognitive relevance hypothesis), (2) that cognitively relevant directed actions lead to more frequent production of gestures during explanations, which leads to improved performance (mediated cognitive relevance hypothesis), and (3) that performance effects of directed actions are influenced by the presence or absence of gesture production during mathematical explanations (moderated cognitive relevance hypothesis). We explore these hypotheses in an experiment where high school students (N = 85) evaluated the truth of geometry conjectures after performing cognitively relevant or cognitively irrelevant directed actions while playing a movement-based video game. Contrary to the direct and mediated cognitive relevance hypotheses, we found no overall differences in performance or gesture production between relevant and irrelevant conditions. Consistent with the moderated cognitive relevance hypothesis, cognitive relevance influenced mathematical performance, as measured by the accuracy of students’ intuitions, insights, and the validity of their proofs, provided that students produced certain kinds of gestures during mathematical explanations (i.e., with explanatory gestures as the moderator). Implications for theories of grounded and embodied cognition and the design of embodied forms of educational interventions are discussed.

Read Full Article (External Site)