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Non-symbolic division in childhood
Koleen McCrink1, Elizabeth S Spelke2
1Department of Psychology, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|October 30, 2015
Summary
Young children can accurately estimate large numerical changes, demonstrating an innate ability to scale quantities. This research highlights the flexible, untrained capacity of the approximate number system (ANS) in early development.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Developmental psychology
- Numerical cognition
Background:
- The approximate number system (ANS) is crucial for representing large quantities and their relationships.
- Understanding how children develop numerical scaling abilities is key to cognitive development research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether 5- and 6-year-old children can estimate numerical outcomes after halving or quartering large quantities.
- To determine if children's estimations rely on numerical scaling rather than other strategies.
Main Methods:
- Children watched video-based events depicting large quantities being reduced to one-half or one-quarter.
- Children's estimations of the final quantities were recorded and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Children accurately estimated the outcomes of halving and quartering problems.
- Performance indicated reliance on numerical scaling, consistent with the ANS ratio signature.
- Children succeeded even on early trials, suggesting an easily conveyed and performed operation.
Conclusions:
- Children possess a flexible, untrained capacity for numerical scaling.
- The approximate number system (ANS) supports early numerical estimation abilities.
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