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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)
Published on: August 28, 2021
Mental operations on number symbols by children
S Hoffman1, T Trabasso, M Friedman
1University of Florida, 32601, Gainesville, Florida.
Abstract:
Children 4 to 6 years of age made choices among colors that had been associated with numbers. Prior to learning four number-color associations, pretraining on counting and ordering objects was given to half of the Ss. Associations were established by either absolute (paired associate) or relative (choice discrimination) methods, and then tests involving "more or less" questions on each of the possible six color pairs were given. Numerical associations were acquired best with absolute training or counting-ordering pretraining. Using the children's justifications for their responses, the test data were fit by Estes's (1966) scanning model; a response strength model based on Luce's (1959) axiom failed. Young children apparently possess an ordered numerical scale, can map this scale onto other nonquantitative symbols, and can generate, compare, and make ordinal decisions using these symbols.
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