Nonsymbolic number and cumulative area representations contribute shared and unique variance to symbolic math competence.

ABSTRACT: Humans and nonhuman animals share the capacity to estimate, without counting, the number of objects in a set by relying on an approximate number system (ANS). Only humans, however, learn the concepts and operations of symbolic mathematics. Despite vast differences between these two systems of quantification, neural and behavioral findings suggest functional connections. Another line of research suggests that the ANS is part of a larger, more general system of magnitude representation. Reports of cognitive interactions and common neural coding for number and other magnitudes such as spatial extent led us to ask whether, and how, nonnumerical magnitude interfaces with mathematical competence. On two magnitude comparison tasks, college students estimated (without counting or explicit calculat

SUBMITTER: Lourenco SF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3503215 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature