Seeing Flames, Perceiving Quantity: Approximations of Fire Intensity Across Development.

ABSTRACT: Between three and six years of age, children become better able to detect smaller differences in non-symbolic visual quantities. This includes judging which set of objects are greater in number and area. These findings suggest that the underlying approximate magnitude representations, which facilitate the estimation of these quantities, become more precise with age into adulthood. Such parallels in developmental trends raise questions about the extent to which they are observed across different non-symbolic quantities. The present study addressed this question using a novel quantity: visual fire intensity. Like number and area, fire intensity can be estimated using visual cues and has real-world implications. However, it is unclear whether young children accurately compare fire intensities

SUBMITTER: Bonny JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12561452 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature