title: Performance demands in the selection of objects for counting.
abstract: This paper considers the visual processes in object counting among children. Experiment 1 presented identical objects to 7- and 8-year-old children and found that spatially random configurations were counted more quickly than linear arrays, illustrating the difficulty of isolating objects grouped together in rows. However, the younger children were more prone to miscounting these random arrays than rows. The study also established a spatial proximity effect, with a dense arrangement of items being difficult to count. Experiment 2 revealed that this proximity effect can be removed by differentiating objects by color, providing further evidence that object counting involves overcoming Gestalt grouping forces and arguing against fine-motor control as a limiting factor in counting.
authors.affiliation: Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Towse
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Hitch
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D005863:Gestalt Theory; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011340:Problem Solving; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012016:Reference Values