How Does Physical Space Influence the Novices' and Experts' Algebraic Reasoning?

Abstract

The embodied mathematics paradigm shows that our mathematical conceptual system is not pure and abstract, but it is grounded in our bodily functioning and experiences. As found by Goldstone & Landy (2007a), symbols placed physically closer together tend to be evaluated as synthetically bound and are solved first, even if in some cases that practice is an error from the perspective of the formal rules of mathematics. Based on this finding, we asked if these results would remain the same if we introduce a new variable — the level of expertise. The results show that experts do not have a better performance than novices, but that the former integrate more the spatial indices in their mathematical reasoning. Results, implications and future research directions are discussed.