Continuous Issues In Numerical Cognition

Continuous Issues in Numerical Cognition: How Many or How Much re-examines the widely accepted view that there exists a core numerical system within human beings and an innate ability to perceive and count discrete quantities. This core knowledge involves the brain’s intraparietal sulcus, and a deficiency in this region has traditionally been thought to be the basis for arithmetic disability. However, new research findings suggest this wide agreement needs to be examined carefully and that perception of sizes and other non-countable amounts may be the true precursors of numerical ability. This cutting-edge book examines the possibility that perception and evaluation of non-countable dimensions may be involved in the development of numerical cognition. Discussions of the above and related issues are important for the achievement of a comprehensive understanding of numerical cognition, its brain basis, development, breakdown in brain-injured individuals, and failures to master mathematical skills. Serves as an innovative reference on the emerging field of numerical cognition and the branches that converge on this diverse topic Features chapters from leading researchers in the field Includes an overview of the multiple disciplines that comprise numerical cognition and discusses the measures that can be used in analysis Introduces novel ideas that connect non-countable continuous variables to numerical cognition

This book presents a philosophical interpretation to numerical cognition based on dual process theories and heuristics. It shows how investigations in cognitive science can shed light on issues traditionally raised by philosophers of mathematics. The analysis will also help readers to better understand the relationship between current neuroscientific research and the philosophical reflection on mathematics. The author seeks to explain the acquisition of mathematical concepts. To accomplish this, he needs to answer two questions. How can the concepts of approximate numerosity become an object of thought that is so accessible to our consciousness? How are these concepts refined and specified in such a way as to become numbers? Unfortunately, there is currently no model that can truly demonstrate the role of language in the development of numerical skills starting from approximate pre-verbal skills. However, the author details a solution to this problem: dual process theories. It is an approach widely used by theorists focusing on reasoning, decision making, social cognition, and consciousness. Here, he applies this approach to the studies on mathematical knowledge. He details the results brought about by psychological and neuroscientific studies conducted on numerical cognition by key neuroscientists. In the process, he develops the foundations of a new, potential philosophical explanation on mathematical knowledge.

The first book-length philosophical account of arithmetical knowledge that is based on the state-of-the-art empirical studies of numerical cognition.

Living at the beginning of the 21st century requires being numerate, because numerical abilities are not only essential for life prospects of individuals but also for economic interests of post-industrial knowledge societies. Thus, numerical development is at the core of both individual as well as societal interests. There is the notion that we are already born with a very basic ability to deal with small numerosities. Yet, this often called “number sense” seems to be very restricted, approximate, and driven by perceptual constraints. During our numerical development in formal (e.g., school) but also informal contexts (e.g., family, street) we acquire culturally developed abstract symbol systems to represent exact numerosities – in particular number words and Arabic digits – refining our numerical capabilities. In recent years, numerical development has gained increasing research interest documented in a growing number of behavioural, neuro-scientific, educational, cross-cultural, and neuropsychological studies addressing this issue. Additionally, our understanding of how numerical competencies develop has also benefitted considerably from the advent of different neuro-imaging techniques allowing for an evaluation of developmental changes in the human brain. In sum, we are now starting to put together a more and more coherent picture of how numerical competencies develop and how this development is associated with neural changes as well. In the end, this knowledge might also lead to a better understanding of the reasons for atypical numerical development which often has grieve consequences for those who suffer from developmental dyscalculia or mathematics learning disabilities. Therefore, this Research Topic deals with all aspects of numerical development: findings from behavioural performance to underlying neural substrates, from cross-sectional to longitudinal evaluations, from healthy to clinical populations. To this end, we included empirical contributions using different experimental methodologies, but also theoretical contributions, review articles, or opinion papers.

Despite once being reserved as perhaps a unique human ability, and one reliant on language, comparative and developmental research has shown that numerical abilities predate verbal language. Human infants and several non-human species have been shown to represent numerical information in varied contexts, and the capacity to discriminate both small and large numerosities has been reported in mammals, birds, amphibians, and fish. The similar performances often observed across such diverse species have led to the hypothesis that there may be shared core systems underlying number abilities of non-human species and human non-verbal numerical abilities. Thus, animal models could provide useful insight on our comprehension of numerical cognition, and in particular the evolution of non-verbal numerical abilities. Several aspects need be clarified. For instance the ontogeny of numerical competence in animals has been rarely investigated. It is unclear whether all species can represent numerical information or, on the contrary, use non-numerical continuous quantities that co-vary with number (such as cumulative surface area, density and space). In addition, the existence of a specific mechanism to process small numbers (<4), traditionally called ‘subitizing’, is highly debated. Neuro-anatomical correlates of numerical competence need also to be clarified, as well as brain lateralization of non-verbal numerical abilities. We solicit contributions in a variety of formats, from empirical research reports, to methodological, review and opinion papers that can advance our understanding on the topic. We particularly invite papers exploring the following issues: 1. Do non-human numerical abilities improve in precision across development as observed in human infants? 2. Can animals discriminate between quantities by using numerical information only? Is number a ‘last resort’ strategy adopted when no other continuous quantity is available? 3. To what extent do animals show similar numerical abilities? Do they show evidence of a subitizing-like process? 4. What kinds of things can be represented numerically by animals? What evidence is there for cross-modal numerical judgments, or judgments of sub-sets of stimuli, or perhaps even counting-like behavior in non-human species? 5. Do comparative studies help us to shed light on the neuro-anatomical correlates of number? By bringing together different studies on these issues we aim to contribute to a more complete picture of numerical competence in the absence of language.

How do we understand numbers? Do animals and babies have numerical abilities? Why do some people fail to grasp numbers, and how we can improve numerical understanding? Numbers are vital to so many areas of life: in science, economics, sports, education, and many aspects of everyday life from infancy onwards. Numerical cognition is a vibrant area that brings together scientists from different and diverse research areas (e.g., neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, comparative psychology, anthropology, education, and neuroscience) using different methodological approaches (e.g., behavioral studies of healthy children and adults and of patients; electrophysiology and brain imaging studies in humans; single-cell neurophysiology in non-human primates, habituation studies in human infants and animals, and computer modeling). While the study of numerical cognition had been relatively neglected for a long time, during the last decade there has been an explosion of studies and new findings. This has resulted in an enormous advance in our understanding of the neural and cognitive mechanisms of numerical cognition. In addition, there has recently been increasing interest and concern about pupils' mathematical achievement in many countries, resulting in attempts to use research to guide mathematics instruction in schools, and to develop interventions for children with mathematical difficulties. This handbook brings together the different research areas that make up the field of numerical cognition in one comprehensive and authoritative volume. The chapters provide a broad and extensive review that is written in an accessible form for scholars and students, as well as educationalists, clinicians, and policy makers. The book covers the most important aspects of research on numerical cognition from the areas of development psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology and rehabilitation, learning disabilities, human and animal cognition and neuroscience, computational modeling, education and individual differences, and philosophy. Containing more than 60 chapters by leading specialists in their fields, the Oxford Handbook of Numerical Cognition is a state-of-the-art review of the current literature.

What computations do our brains perform when we complete a simple addition task such as adding two and three to make five? How do numerical abilities develop through infancy? Is language a prerequisite for numeracy, or can animals as well as human beings calculate with numbers? Ever since Plato, the mental representation of number and the psychological and neurobiological bases of mathematical abilities in general have been the focus of philosophical and scientific speculation. Recently, new methods in cognitive and developmental psychology, neuropsychology, and animal behavior research have permitted the experimental exploration of old questions. Numerical Cognition constitutes the first comprehensive and up-to-date overview of an emerging field, and points out future directions for researchers to take. An introductory chapter offers an overview of the problem and then focuses on the critical relationship between number and language and on evidence for nonlinguistic representations of number. Subsequent chapters trace the fascinating parallels between human and animal representations of number, probe the meanings of the disintegration of numerical abilities following brain damage, and analyze unusual forms of visuo-spatial number representations first discovered by Sir John Galton more than a century ago. The editor and authors of Numerical Cognition have performed a signal service for students and researchers in cognitive science, neuropsychology, and mathematics, indeed, for everyone interested in the nature of mathematics and its relation to mind and brain.

Numerical Cognition: The Basics provides an understanding of the neural and cognitive mechanisms that enable us to perceive, process, and memorize numerical information. Starting from basic numerical competencies that humans share with other species, the book explores the mental coding of numbers and their neural representation. It explains the strategies of mental calculation, their pitfalls and their development, as well as the developmental steps children make while learning about numbers. The book gradually builds our understanding of the underlying mental processes of numeracy and concludes with an insightful examination of the diagnosis, etiology and treatment of dyscalculia. Written in an accessible manner, the book summarizes and critically evaluates the major psychological explanations for various empirical phenomena in numerical cognition. Containing a wealth of student-friendly features including end of chapter summaries, informative figures, further reading lists, and links to relevant websites, Numerical Cognition: The Basics is an essential starting point for anybody new to the field.

The book synergizes research on number across two disciplines—mathematics education and psychology. The underlying problem the book addresses is how the brain constructs number. The opening chapter frames the problem in terms of children’s activity, including mental and physical actions. Subsequent chapters are organized into sections that address specific domains of number: natural numbers, fractions, and integers. Chapters within each section address ways that children build upon biological primitives (e.g., subitizing) and prior constructs (e.g., counting sequences) to construct number. The book relies on co-authored chapters and commentaries at the end of each section to create dialogue between junior faculty and senior researchers, as well as between psychologists and mathematics educators. The final chapter brings this work together around the framework of children’s activity and additional themes that arise in the collective work. The book is aimed to appeal to mathematics educators, mathematics teacher educators, mathematics education researchers, educational psychologists, cognitive psychologists, and developmental psychologists.

The last decade has seen a rapid growth in our understanding of the cognitive systems that underlie mathematical learning and performance, and an increased recognition of the importance of this topic. This book showcases international research on the most important cognitive issues that affect mathematical performance across a wide age range, from early childhood to adulthood. The book considers the foundational competencies of nonsymbolic and symbolic number processing before discussing arithmetic, conceptual understanding, individual differences and dyscalculia, algebra, number systems, reasoning and higher-level mathematics such as formal proof. Drawing on diverse methodology from behavioural experiments to brain imaging, each chapter discusses key theories and empirical findings and introduces key tasks used by researchers. The final chapter discusses challenges facing the future development of the field of mathematical cognition and reviews a set of open questions that mathematical cognition researchers should address to move the field forward. This book is ideal for undergraduate or graduate students of psychology, education, cognitive sciences, cognitive neuroscience and other academic and clinical audiences including mathematics educators and educational psychologists.