Large-number addition and subtraction by 9-month-old infants.
Do genuinely numerical computational abilities exist in infancy? It has recently been argued that previous studies putatively illustrating infants' ability to add and subtract tapped into specialized object-tracking processes that apply only with small numbers. This argument contrasts with the original interpretation that successful performance was achieved via a numerical system for estimating and calculating magnitudes. Here, we report that when continuous variables (such as area and contour length) are controlled, 9-month-old infants successfully add and subtract over numbers of items that exceed object-tracking limits. These results support the theory that infants possess a magnitude-based estimation system for representing numerosities that also supports procedures for numerical computation.
Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. koleen.mccrink@yale.edu
Koleen
K
McCrink
Karen
K
Wynn
D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D014796:Visual Perception