Beyond the number domain.
In a world without numbers, we would be unable to build a skyscraper, hold a national election, plan a wedding or pay for a chicken at the market. The numerical symbols used in all these behaviors build on the approximate number system (ANS) which represents the number of discrete objects or events as a continuous mental magnitude. Here, we first discuss evidence that the ANS bears a set of behavioral and brain signatures that are universally displayed across animal species, human cultures and development. We then turn to the question of whether the ANS constitutes a specialized cognitive and neural domain - a question central to understanding how this system works, the nature of its evolutionary and developmental trajectory and its physical instantiation in the brain.
Cantlon
Jessica F
JF
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA. jfc2@duke.edu
Platt
Michael L
ML
Brannon
Elizabeth M
EM
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology