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Related Experiment Videos

Children's understanding of counting.

K Wynn1

  • 1University of Arizona.

Cognition
|August 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

Children develop abstract counting skills early, but understanding the cardinal word principle emerges around 3.5 years. This principle signifies knowing the last number word indicates the total quantity.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Development
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Number Cognition

Background:

  • Children's early number sense is crucial for mathematical development.
  • Understanding the cardinal word principle is a key milestone in learning to count.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the abstractness of children's mental representations of counting.
  • To determine the age at which children grasp the cardinal word principle.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments were conducted with 2- and 3-year-old children.
  • Tasks included counting objects, actions, and sounds, a "how-many" question, and a "give-a-number" task.

Main Results:

  • Children demonstrate early generalization of counting routines to various stimuli.
  • Understanding of the cardinal word principle solidifies around 3.5 years of age.
  • Smaller number word meanings are acquired before larger ones, followed by the cardinal principle.

Conclusions:

  • Children develop abstract counting representations before fully understanding the cardinal word principle.
  • The cardinal word principle is learned around 3.5 years, enabling the acquisition of number word meanings.

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