Psychological Development and Education ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4): 500-509.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2025.04.06

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The Neural Basis of Physical Manipulation Promoting Children’s Learning of Geometric Concept: An fNIRS Study

SHI Licheng1, LENG Ying1, TAN Dingliang2   

  1. 1. School of Education Science, Nantong University, Nantong 226019;
    2. School of Education Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210097
  • Published:2025-07-12

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Abstract: Physical manipulation is beneficial for young children's learning. However, for children with abstract thinking, researchers hold different opinions on whether physical manipulation promotes or hinders learning. The neural basis for the effect of physical manipulation has yet to be clarified. The learning-test paradigm and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technique were used to compare the learning results and brain activation patterns between the physical manipulation group and the observational learning group. The results showed that: (1) Physical manipulation promoted children's learning of geometric concept. Children in the physical manipulation group extracted concepts faster and more accurate than those in the observational learning group; (2) In the stage of geometric concept encoding, physical manipulation caused the activation of the somatosensory association cortex, accompanied by a significant inhibition of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which was more prominent in those with low academic level; (3) In the retrieval stage, the somatosensory association cortex was reactivated, and its activation level positively predicted the accuracy. These results suggested that physical manipulation activated the somatosensory cortex, thereby promoting geometric concept learning for children with abstract thinking. Physical manipulation promotes understanding of geometric concepts and alleviate cognitive load, which is more beneficial for children with lower mathematical academic level.

Key words: children, physical manipulation, concept learning, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, somatosensory association cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

CLC Number: 

  • G442
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