Is Narrative Comprehension Embodied? An Exploratory Study on the Relationship Between Narrative and Motor Skills in Preschoolers.

According to Embodied Cognition theories, motor skills in early childhood are closely interconnected with various cognitive abilities, including working memory, cognitive flexibility, and theory of mind. These processes are integral components of the multicomponent model of narrative comprehension, which posits that higher-order cognitive functions support the construction of coherent mental representations of narrative meaning. This study aimed to examine whether motor skills directly contribute to narrative comprehension in preschool children or whether this relationship is mediated by cognitive skills. Seventy-four typically developing children aged 3 to 6 years (47.2% female) participated in this study. Motor skills were assessed using standardized measures, and cognitive abilities were evaluated through tasks targeting working memory, cognitive flexibility, and theory of mind. Narrative comprehension was measured with age-appropriate tasks requiring the understanding and retelling of stories. A structural equation model (SEM) was conducted to test the direct and indirect effects of motor skills on narrative comprehension via cognitive skills. The SEM results indicated a significant direct effect of motor skills on cognitive skills and an indirect effect on narrative comprehension mediated by cognitive abilities. No evidence was found for a direct pathway from motor skills to narrative comprehension independent of cognitive processes. These findings underscore the complex interplay between motor, cognitive, and language development in early childhood. The results suggest that motor skills contribute to narrative comprehension indirectly by enhancing core cognitive abilities, offering novel insights into the developmental mechanisms that support language acquisition and understanding.