Work

Learning by moving: Physical motion accelerates category learning

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Categorization is crucial for survival, helping animals forage, navigate, and avoid predators-all tasks involving movement. Yet, dominant theories of category learning treat it as a purely cognitive or perceptual process. Here, we challenge this view by demonstrating that physical movement can enhance category learning-but selectively. Using immersive virtual reality, we found that performing large actions, such as swinging a lightsaber, substantially improved learning of categories requiring integration of multiple cues (e.g., distinguishing aggressive from noncancerous lesions), while having minimal impact on categories involving independent evaluation of features (e.g., sorting by color and shape). This selective enhancement reveals a previously unrecognized motor contribution to categorization and may explain why prior studies missed it, opening avenues for optimizing training in critical categorization tasks.

Source: Science Advances

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aed4003

Authors: Luke Rosedahl, Yuka Sasaki, Takeo Watanabe

Institutions: Brown University, Florida Atlantic University

Language: English

Topic: Categorization, perception, and language

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $4,500

Funders: National Science Foundation, Brown University, National Institutes of Health, National Eye Institute