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Updated: May 25, 2026

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
Published on: November 2, 2012
Core knowledge of object, number, and geometry: a comparative and neural approach
1Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy. giorgio.vallortigara@unitn.it
Core knowledge systems for objects, number, and geometry are innate and present in animals. Comparative studies using animal models reveal these precocious cognitive abilities, supporting a nativistic foundation for human knowledge.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Comparative Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Human knowledge appears to be built upon core systems for objects, number, and geometry.
- These systems are evolutionarily ancient, suggesting they can be studied in nonhuman species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence for core knowledge systems in animal models.
- To explore the nativistic basis of cognitive mechanisms related to objects, number, and geometry.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of nonhuman species' cognitive abilities.
- Review of controlled rearing studies.
Main Results:
- Nonhuman animals demonstrate precocious abilities in representing objects, numerical cognition, and spatial geometry.
- These abilities emerge with minimal or no experience, supporting innate cognitive foundations.
Conclusions:
- Core knowledge systems for objects, number, and geometry have a nativistic basis.
- Animal models offer valuable insights into the evolutionary and neurobiological underpinnings of core knowledge.
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