Environmental representation in action: gender differences and alignment effects in pointing kinematics

The way we move reflects how we mentally represent space. Spatial cognition and motor processes are often studied separately, yet everyday actions require their integration. This study examined the act of pointing to a specific direction as a natural, embodied gesture able to reveal underlying cognitive mechanisms. By means of 3D analysis of movement, we investigated spatial representations and the role played by gender differences on the pointing performance. Participants with comparable spatial perspective-taking abilities were required to point to familiar locations while their body was physically: i) aligned or ii) counter-aligned with the target location. A 3D motion capture system recorded high-resolution index finger kinematics, and participants rated their confidence after each trial. Performance was analyzed across temporal (reaction time, movement duration), velocity (peak and mean movement velocity) and spatial (trajectory efficiency) measures. Results revealed alignment effects: participants pointed faster and reported higher confidence in aligned orientations. Counter-aligned conditions, requiring perspective shifts, elicited slower movements and lower confidence, indicating cognitive costs of spatial transformation. While spatial accuracy and confidence did not differ by gender, small differences emerged in motor execution: men produced slightly faster movements and larger displacement, regardless of alignment, suggesting distinct motor strategies across genders despite similar spatial representations. These findings provide empirical support for the interplay between embodied cognition and spatial cognition: spatial representations are constructed and expressed through motor processes. Body orientation modulates pointing kinematics, demonstrating that the way we move reflects how we mentally represent space.