A5091737223- Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills
- Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques
- Reading and Literacy Development
- Parental Involvement in Education
- Early Childhood Education and Development
- Education Methods and Practices
- Child and Animal Learning Development
- Child Development and Digital Technology
- Neuroscience, Education and Cognitive Function
- Neuroscience and Music Perception
- Spatial Cognition and Navigation
- Children's Physical and Motor Development
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Language Development and Disorders
- Infant Development and Preterm Care
- School Choice and Performance
- Multisensory perception and integration
- Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
- Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Neonatal and fetal brain pathology
- Computability, Logic, AI Algorithms
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Visual perception and processing mechanisms
University of Pittsburgh
2016-2025
Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition
2022-2025
Université Paris Cité
2024
Institute for Learning and Development
2023
Johns Hopkins University
2011-2020
Duke University
2007-2011
University of Baltimore
2011
Cognitive Research (United States)
2007-2010
Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod
2010
Carnegie Mellon University
2009
Previous research shows a correlation between individual differences in people's school math abilities and the accuracy with which they rapidly nonverbally approximate how many items are scene. This finding is surprising because Approximate Number System (ANS) underlying numerical estimation shared infants non-human animals who never acquire formal mathematics. However, it remains unclear whether link ability ANS depends on mathematics instruction. Earlier studies demonstrating this tested...
Significance The uniquely human mathematical mind sets us apart from all other animals. How does this powerful capacity emerge over development? It is uncontroversial that education and environment shape ability, yet an untested assumption number sense in infants a conceptual precursor seeds development. Our results provide the first support for hypothesis. We found preverbal 6-month-old predicted standardized math scores same children 3 years later. This discovery shows infancy building...
A dominant view in numerical cognition is that comparisons operate on a notation independent representation (Dehaene, 1992). Although previous human neurophysiological studies using scalp-recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) the distance effect have been interpreted as supporting this idea, differences electrophysiological correlates of symbolic notations (e.g. Arabic numerals) and non-symbolic set visually presented dots certain number) are not entirely consistent with view.Two...
Abstract Humans share with other animals a system for thinking about numbers in an imprecise and intuitive way. The approximate number ( ANS ) that underlies this is present throughout the lifespan, entirely nonverbal, supports basic numerical computations like comparing, adding, subtracting quantities. Humans, unlike animals, also have representing exact numbers. This linguistically mediated slowly mastered over course of many years provides basis most our formal mathematical thought. A...
Abstract Previous studies have shown that as a group 6‐month‐old infants successfully discriminate numerical changes when the values differ by at least 1:2 ratio but fail 2:3 (e.g. 8 vs. 16 not 12). However, no yet examined individual differences in number discrimination infancy. Using novel change detection paradigm, we present more direct evidence infants’ perception is ratio‐dependent even within range of discriminable ratios and thus adheres to Weber’s Law. Furthermore, show 6 months...
As literate adults, we appreciate numerical values as abstract entities that can be represented by a numeral, word, number of lines on scorecard, or sequence chimes from clock. This abstract, notation-independent appreciation numbers develops gradually over the first several years life. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, examine brain mechanisms 6- and 7-year-old children adults recruit to solve comparisons across different notation systems. The data reveal when young compare...
From very early in life, humans can approximate the number and surface area of objects a scene.The ability to discriminate between 2 quantities, whether or area, critically depends on ratio with most difficult that participant reliably known as Weber fraction.While developmental improvements fraction have been demonstrated for number, trajectory improvement discrimination remains unknown.Here we investigated development parallels discrimination.We tested forty 3-to 6-year-old children adults...
Past research suggests that individual differences in the acuity of approximate number system (ANS) are associated with children's math abilities. However, some recent work has argued these associations can be explained through shared reliance on inhibitory control. Here, we test this claim two separate experiments. In Experiment 1, forty-two 5- and 6-year-old children completed a non-symbolic comparison task to assess ANS as well standardized experimenter-administered assessments for...
Approximate number discrimination in adult human and nonhuman animals is governed by Weber's Law: The ratio between the values determines discriminability. Here, we review recent evidence from behavioral neuroimaging studies that suggests sense infancy shares same hallmark feature of Law may rely on neural substrates as previously found adults, children, animals. These findings support notion ontogenetic phylogenetic continuity sense. New methods described here help uncover how infants'...
Over the past few decades, there has been extensive debate as to whether humans represent number abstractly and, if so, perceptual features of a set such cumulative surface area or contour length are extracted more readily than from external world. Here we show that 7-month-old infants sensitive smaller ratio changes in when each variable is tested separately and prefer look at compared with 2 variables pitted directly against other. Our results provide strong evidence salient dimension...
Evidence for approximate number system ( ANS ) representations in infancy is robust but has typically only been found when infants are presented with arrays of four or more elements. In addition, several studies have that fail to discriminate between small numbers continuous variables such as surface area and contour length controlled. These findings suggest under some circumstances, recruit either the object file sets. Here, we used a numerical change detection paradigm assess 6‐month‐old...
Recent public discussions have suggested that the under-representation of women in science and mathematics careers can be traced back to intrinsic differences aptitude. However, true gender are difficult assess because sociocultural influences enter at an early point childhood. If these claims true, then quantitative mathematical abilities should emerge human development. We examined cross-sectional cognition from over 500 children aged 6 months 8 years by compiling data five published...
Research suggests that individual differences in math abilities correlate with approximate representations of quantity are supported by a primitive Approximate Number System (ANS). However, relatively little research has addressed the direction this association early childhood. Here we examined development ANS and ability longitudinally 3- to 5-year-old children. Children were observed at three time points roughly six months apart; they completed nonsymbolic numerical comparison task...
Little is known about whether and how parents can foster their children's spontaneous focus on number, an unprompted measure of attention to small numbers objects that predicts later math achievement. In the current study, we asked 54 preschool-aged children play together in a museum exhibit using either numerical prompt or nonnumerical (control condition). Before after playing with parent, completed assessments individual differences tendency spontaneously number. After whose received...
Even before starting formal schooling, children show substantial variations in math skills suggesting that the home learning environment plays an important role shaping young children’s skills. Here, I review interventions aimed at providing with opportunities to learn identify what types of parent-guided activities may be effective improving math. also impact frequencies and quality parents provide their even if benefits for outcomes were not found or have been tested yet. While some...
The approximate number system (ANS) is a hypothesized mechanism responsible for the representation and processing of numerical information in an imprecise fashion. According to predominant theory, ANS essential solving simple tasks such as comparing which two quantities numerically larger, some research has indicated that individual differences its acuity influence higher-level mathematical performance. Because this far-reaching role ANS, it assess with measures are reliable, valid. present...
The home math environment has gained considerable attention as a potential cause of variation in children's performance, and recent research suggested positive associations between parents' talk mathematical performance. However, the extent to which reflect robust causal effects is difficult test. In preregistered meta-analysis, we assess association Our initial search identified 24,291 articles. After screening, 22 studies that were included analyses (k = 280 effect sizes, n 35,917...