title: Probabilistic cognition in two indigenous Mayan groups.
abstract: Is there a sense of chance shared by all individuals, regardless of their schooling or culture? To test whether the ability to make correct probabilistic evaluations depends on educational and cultural guidance, we investigated probabilistic cognition in preliterate and prenumerate Kaqchikel and K'iche', two indigenous Mayan groups, living in remote areas of Guatemala. Although the tested individuals had no formal education, they performed correctly in tasks in which they had to consider prior and posterior information, proportions and combinations of possibilities. Their performance was indistinguishable from that of Mayan school children and Western controls. Our results provide evidence for the universal nature of probabilistic cognition.
authors.affiliation: Center for Experimental Research in Management and Economics, DCP, University IUAV of Venice, 30123 Venice, Italy;
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fontanari
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, CNRS and Aix-Marseille University, 13331 Marseilles, France; and.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vallortigara
authors.affiliation: Center for Experimental Research in Management and Economics, DCP, University IUAV of Venice, 30123 Venice, Italy; vgirotto@iuav.it.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Girotto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006166:Guatemala; D006801:Humans; D007197:Indians, Central American / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cognitive development; literacy; number cognition; numeracy; probabilistic cognition