Origins of Numerical Knowledge
Published 1 February 2018
Karen Wynn
Citations164
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Abstract
Evidence is presented that young human infants possess a system of numerical knowledge that consists of a mechanism for determining and representing small numbers of entities, as well as procedures for operating over these representations so as to extract information of the numerical relationships between them. A model for this mechanism is presented, and its relation to the development of further numerical knowledge is discussed.
Keywords
Mathematics
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1,826 Citations1992Karen Wynn
5-month-old infants can calculate the results of simple arithmetical operations on small numbers of items, which indicates that infants possess true numerical concepts, and suggests that humans are innately endowed with arathmetical abilities.
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This finding indicates that some number capacity is present before the onset of verbal counting, and it suggests that verbal counting may have precursors present during infancy.
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