The journey of numbers from attention to motor processing: an embodied account of neural response to number magnitudes

Abstract

Abstract Embodied cognition suggests numbers are linked to physical actions and sensory experiences. Additionally, sensory processing, thoughts or actions are modulated by attentional shifts/control. This study investigates how learned motor associations in individuals (finger-counting habits) shape brain responses to digit symbols. We examined how covert attention to motor associations influences neural responses during passive viewing of symbolic numbers, using event-related potentials (ERPs) and time-frequency analysis. We examined whether the P2 component, linked to attentional processing, correlates with motor habits and alpha wave activity. Results showed stronger P2 component when number-hand associations aligned, with no significant alpha wave changes was observed. Right-starters exhibited enhanced attention and number processing, with higher P3 amplitudes and faster responses for all digits. Taken together, these findings provide preliminary support for the idea that attention to learned motor associations may influence neural responses to numerical information. We discuss these findings within our proposed theoretical framework termed Feature-based Attention to Learned Motor (FALM) processing.