Nature and culture of finger counting: Diversity and representational effects of an embodied cognitive tool

► We provide the first overview and typology of finger counting systems (FCS). ► FCS differ fundamentally across cultures in their properties (e.g., base representation). ► Representational effects entail implications for embodied and distributed cognition. ► Structural inconsistencies with other counting systems have ambivalent implications. ► Theories on evolution and development of counting systems need to be modified.