Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics BM-PROMA
Published on: August 28, 2021
When bases clash: cultural, cognitive and practical ramifications of numeration systems used in parallel
1Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway.
Abstract:
Numeration systems are cognitive tools that can be used to assess both discrete and continuous magnitudes (by counting and measuring, respectively). The presence and numerical value of a base in such systems have implications on several levels: They shape the system structure in creating higher (counting) units; they affect how users cognitively represent and process numerical information; and they play a role in establishing cultural conventions for standardizing systems, setting thresholds or converting between scales. This paper investigates how each of these levels is implicated when numeration systems with diverging bases are used in parallel, from small-scale traditional contexts to daily-life situations and high-stakes domains in a globalized world. In focusing on the challenges that parallel systems were designed to tackle, as well as the challenges they cause, the paper highlights bases as both a result and a tool of cultural evolution.This article is part of the theme issue 'A solid base for scaling up: the structure of numeration systems'.
More Related Videos
16:23Automated, Quantitative Cognitive/Behavioral Screening of Mice: For Genetics, Pharmacology, Animal Cognition and Undergraduate Instruction
Published on: February 26, 2014
11:47Modulating Cognition Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Cerebellum
Published on: February 15, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Real Number Operations
Numerical Calculations
The solution to a problem is obtained using different methods. While manually solving algebraic symbols is one of the most common methods, the graphical method is often preferred. Computers...
Complex Numbers
Sequences
Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the...
Parallel Processing