Abstract
An experiment was conducted on 68 children, ages 4-6 years, to clarify the specific relations between their numerical abilities and finger dexterity. Multiple regression analysis showed that performances by participants on arithmetic tests were strongly influenced by their performances in finger dexterity. In addition, their performance on vocabulary tests was most strongly influenced by their abilities in rhythmic movement. These findings suggest that numerical abilities in 4-6 years old is more strongly related to finger dexterity than to other movement skill, and that finger dexterity is more related to numerical abilities than verbal ability. The results are discussed in terms of the localizationist and the functional hypotheses.
