Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39971808›Full record

ArticlePsychological research2025

Open hands, large numbers: manual gestures influence random number generation.

Caterina Villani, Glenn De Muynck, Anna M Borghi, Luisa Lugli, Bodo Winter

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Psychological research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Caterina VillaniDepartment of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, University of Bologna, Via Cartoleria 5, 40124, Bologna, Italy. caterina.villani6@unibo.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4537-7306
Glenn De MuynckDepartment of Philosophy, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 38, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
Anna M BorghiDepartment of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Degli Apuli 1, 00185, Rome, Italy.
Luisa LugliDepartment of Philosophy, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 38, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
Bodo WinterLinguistics & Communication, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

Funding

European Union - NextGenerationEU through the Italian Ministry of University and Research under PNRR - Mission 4 Component 1, Investment 4.1 "Increase in the number of PhD Programmes and research-oriented PhD Programmes for the Public Administration and Cultural Heritage" D.M. 118/2023 CUP J33C23002840002UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship MR/T040505/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Several studies suggest that numerical cognition interacts with spatial cognition. Here, we explored spatial-numerical associations through the lens of manual gestures. We asked English and Italian participants to generate 'random' sequences of numbers while simultaneously moving the hands outwards, away from the torso, or inwards, towards the mid center of the body. These manual gestures were modeled after gestures that are common in naturally occurring numerical discourse, such as when people talk about "huge numbers" or "tiny numbers." Results showed that in both participant groups, outwards movements coincided with relatively larger numbers compared to inwards movements, for which generated numbers were smaller. This effect was small in magnitude. We also explored individual differences and found that self-reported numeracy as well as levels of gesture production and perception modulated the effect of our gesture manipulation very little, if at all.

Indexed as

CognitionGesturesSpace PerceptionAdultFemaleHumansMalePsychomotor PerformanceYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID39971808
PMCPMC11839710

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.