Available online 19 August 2023, 100207

Sighted and visually impaired children could discriminate spatial proportions solely from somatosensory feedback

Performance (discrimination) was lower in sighted children compared to children with visual impairment

Sighted children displayed higher average tracing velocity and higher trial-to-trial variability of tracing velocity

The lower performance in sighted children is likely due to biased length estimation from higher variability of tracing velocity

Humans can naturally operate with ratios of continuous magnitudes (proportions). We asked if sighted children (S) and visually impaired children (VI) can discriminate proportions via somatosensory feedback.

Children formed a proportion by tracing a pair of straight lines with their finger, and compared this proportion with a second proportion resulting from the tracing of another pair of lines.

Performance was 68% in S, thus significantly lower (p < 0.001) compared to VI (75%). Tracing velocity (p < 0.01) and trial-to-trial variability of tracing velocity (p < 0.05) was higher in S compared to VI.

Operating with proportions solely from somatosensory feedback is possible, thus tracing lines might support learning in mathematics education. Kinematic variables point to the reason for the difference between S and VI, in that higher trial-to-trial variability in velocity in S leads to biased estimation of absolute line lengths.

embodied cognition

primary school

ratio sense

movement

mathematics education

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