Download or read book Number without language comparative psychology and the evolution of numerical cognition written by Christian Agrillo and published by Frontiers E-books. This book was released on 2013-07-09 with total page 135 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite once being reserved as perhaps a unique human ability, and one reliant on language, comparative and developmental research has shown that numerical abilities predate verbal language. Human infants and several non-human species have been shown to represent numerical information in varied contexts, and the capacity to discriminate both small and large numerosities has been reported in mammals, birds, amphibians, and fish. The similar performances often observed across such diverse species have led to the hypothesis that there may be shared core systems underlying number abilities of non-human species and human non-verbal numerical abilities. Thus, animal models could provide useful insight on our comprehension of numerical cognition, and in particular the evolution of non-verbal numerical abilities. Several aspects need be clarified. For instance the ontogeny of numerical competence in animals has been rarely investigated. It is unclear whether all species can represent numerical information or, on the contrary, use non-numerical continuous quantities that co-vary with number (such as cumulative surface area, density and space). In addition, the existence of a specific mechanism to process small numbers (<4), traditionally called ‘subitizing’, is highly debated. Neuro-anatomical correlates of numerical competence need also to be clarified, as well as brain lateralization of non-verbal numerical abilities. We solicit contributions in a variety of formats, from empirical research reports, to methodological, review and opinion papers that can advance our understanding on the topic. We particularly invite papers exploring the following issues: 1. Do non-human numerical abilities improve in precision across development as observed in human infants? 2. Can animals discriminate between quantities by using numerical information only? Is number a ‘last resort’ strategy adopted when no other continuous quantity is available? 3. To what extent do animals show similar numerical abilities? Do they show evidence of a subitizing-like process? 4. What kinds of things can be represented numerically by animals? What evidence is there for cross-modal numerical judgments, or judgments of sub-sets of stimuli, or perhaps even counting-like behavior in non-human species? 5. Do comparative studies help us to shed light on the neuro-anatomical correlates of number? By bringing together different studies on these issues we aim to contribute to a more complete picture of numerical competence in the absence of language.

Download or read book Evolutionary Origins and Early Development of Number Processing written by David C. Geary and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2014-11-04 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first volume in this ground-breaking series focuses on the origins and early development of numerical cognition in non-human primates, lower vertebrates, human infants, and preschool children. The text will help readers understand the nature and complexity of these foundational quantitative concepts and skills along with evolutionary precursors and early developmental trajectories. Brings together and focuses the efforts and research of multiple disciplines working in math cognition. The contributors bring vast knowledge and experience to bear on resolving extant substantive and methodological challenges to help advance the field of basic number processing. Introductory sections and summaries will be included to provide background for non-specialist readers.

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Numerical Cognition written by Roi Kadosh and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015-07-30 with total page 1144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we understand numbers? Do animals and babies have numerical abilities? Why do some people fail to grasp numbers, and how we can improve numerical understanding? Numbers are vital to so many areas of life: in science, economics, sports, education, and many aspects of everyday life from infancy onwards. Numerical cognition is a vibrant area that brings together scientists from different and diverse research areas (e.g., neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, comparative psychology, anthropology, education, and neuroscience) using different methodological approaches (e.g., behavioral studies of healthy children and adults and of patients; electrophysiology and brain imaging studies in humans; single-cell neurophysiology in non-human primates, habituation studies in human infants and animals, and computer modeling). While the study of numerical cognition had been relatively neglected for a long time, during the last decade there has been an explosion of studies and new findings. This has resulted in an enormous advance in our understanding of the neural and cognitive mechanisms of numerical cognition. In addition, there has recently been increasing interest and concern about pupils' mathematical achievement in many countries, resulting in attempts to use research to guide mathematics instruction in schools, and to develop interventions for children with mathematical difficulties. This handbook brings together the different research areas that make up the field of numerical cognition in one comprehensive and authoritative volume. The chapters provide a broad and extensive review that is written in an accessible form for scholars and students, as well as educationalists, clinicians, and policy makers. The book covers the most important aspects of research on numerical cognition from the areas of development psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology and rehabilitation, learning disabilities, human and animal cognition and neuroscience, computational modeling, education and individual differences, and philosophy. Containing more than 60 chapters by leading specialists in their fields, the Oxford Handbook of Numerical Cognition is a state-of-the-art review of the current literature.

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Numerical Cognition written by Roi Kadosh and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2015-07-30 with total page 1144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we understand numbers? Do animals and babies have numerical abilities? Why do some people fail to grasp numbers, and how we can improve numerical understanding? Numbers are vital to so many areas of life: in science, economics, sports, education, and many aspects of everyday life from infancy onwards. Numerical cognition is a vibrant area that brings together scientists from different and diverse research areas (e.g., neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, comparative psychology, anthropology, education, and neuroscience) using different methodological approaches (e.g., behavioral studies of healthy children and adults and of patients; electrophysiology and brain imaging studies in humans; single-cell neurophysiology in non-human primates, habituation studies in human infants and animals, and computer modeling). While the study of numerical cognition had been relatively neglected for a long time, during the last decade there has been an explosion of studies and new findings. This has resulted in an enormous advance in our understanding of the neural and cognitive mechanisms of numerical cognition. In addition, there has recently been increasing interest and concern about pupils' mathematical achievement in many countries, resulting in attempts to use research to guide mathematics instruction in schools, and to develop interventions for children with mathematical difficulties. This handbook brings together the different research areas that make up the field of numerical cognition in one comprehensive and authoritative volume. The chapters provide a broad and extensive review that is written in an accessible form for scholars and students, as well as educationalists, clinicians, and policy makers. The book covers the most important aspects of research on numerical cognition from the areas of development psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology and rehabilitation, learning disabilities, human and animal cognition and neuroscience, computational modeling, education and individual differences, and philosophy. Containing more than 60 chapters by leading specialists in their fields, the Oxford Handbook of Numerical Cognition is a state-of-the-art review of the current literature.

Download or read book Development of Mathematical Cognition written by Daniel B. Berch and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2015-10-03 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Development of Mathematical Cognition: Neural Substrates and Genetic Influences reviews advances in extant imaging modalities and the application of brain stimulation techniques for improving mathematical learning. It goes on to explore the role genetics and environmental influences have in the development of math abilities and disabilities. Focusing on the neural substrates and genetic factors associated with both the typical and atypical development of mathematical thinking and learning, this second volume in the Mathematical Cognition and Learning series integrates the latest in innovative measures and methodological advances from the top researchers in the field. Provides details about new progress made in the study of neural correlates of numerical and arithmetic cognition Addresses recent work in quantitative and molecular genetics Works to improve instruction in numerical, arithmetical, and algebraic thinking and learning Informs policy to help increase the level of mathematical proficiency among the general public

Download or read book Studying Animal Languages Without Translation An Insight from Ants written by Zhanna Reznikova and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-12-14 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Author of this new volume on ant communication demonstrates that information theory is a valuable tool for studying the natural communication of animals. To do so, she pursues a fundamentally new approach to studying animal communication and “linguistic” capacities on the basis of measuring the rate of information transmission and the complexity of transmitted messages. Animals’ communication systems and cognitive abilities have long-since been a topic of particular interest to biologists, psychologists, linguists, and many others, including researchers in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. The main difficulties in the analysis of animal language have to date been predominantly methodological in nature. Addressing this perennial problem, the elaborated experimental paradigm presented here has been applied to ants, and can be extended to other social species of animals that have the need to memorize and relay complex “messages”. Accordingly, the method opens exciting new dimensions in the study of natural communications in the wild.

Download or read book Dyscalculia from Science to Education written by Brian Butterworth and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-12-07 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dyscalulia is caused by developmental differences in the structures and patterns of activation in the brain. Affected learners require timely and tailored interventions, informed and shaped by neurological findings. In this ground-breaking text, Professor Butterworth explains the latest research in the science of dyscalculia in a clear non-technical way. Crucially, he shows that dyscalculia is caused by a core deficit in the ability to accurately and swiflty represent the number of objects in a set, an ability that underpins learning arithmetic, and clearly differentiates dyscalculia from other forms of early maths learning difficulties. Butterworth uniquely links research to pedagogical practice, to explain how science can be used for the identification of dyscalculia, and for the development of strategies to best help affected learners acquire arithmetical competence. The text provides robust interventions that focus on helping pupils to strengthen their ability to process numerosities and link them to the familiar number symbols, counting words and digits. It shows that science has clear and specific implications both for assessment and intervention. A landmark publication for the dyscalculia community, Dyscalculia: From Science to Education will become an essential resource for teachers, professionals, parents and sufferers, as well as for university courses that include specific learning disabilities.

Download or read book Numerical Development From cognitive functions to neural underpinnings written by Korbinian Moeller and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2015-02-24 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Living at the beginning of the 21st century requires being numerate, because numerical abilities are not only essential for life prospects of individuals but also for economic interests of post-industrial knowledge societies. Thus, numerical development is at the core of both individual as well as societal interests. There is the notion that we are already born with a very basic ability to deal with small numerosities. Yet, this often called “number sense” seems to be very restricted, approximate, and driven by perceptual constraints. During our numerical development in formal (e.g., school) but also informal contexts (e.g., family, street) we acquire culturally developed abstract symbol systems to represent exact numerosities – in particular number words and Arabic digits – refining our numerical capabilities. In recent years, numerical development has gained increasing research interest documented in a growing number of behavioural, neuro-scientific, educational, cross-cultural, and neuropsychological studies addressing this issue. Additionally, our understanding of how numerical competencies develop has also benefitted considerably from the advent of different neuro-imaging techniques allowing for an evaluation of developmental changes in the human brain. In sum, we are now starting to put together a more and more coherent picture of how numerical competencies develop and how this development is associated with neural changes as well. In the end, this knowledge might also lead to a better understanding of the reasons for atypical numerical development which often has grieve consequences for those who suffer from developmental dyscalculia or mathematics learning disabilities. Therefore, this Research Topic deals with all aspects of numerical development: findings from behavioural performance to underlying neural substrates, from cross-sectional to longitudinal evaluations, from healthy to clinical populations. To this end, we included empirical contributions using different experimental methodologies, but also theoretical contributions, review articles, or opinion papers.

Download or read book The Development of Numerical Competence written by Sarah T. Boysen and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2014-01-14 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The area of animal counting has historically been the subject of a long and colorful debate, but only more recently have systematic, more rigorous experimental efforts to evaluate numerical abilities in animals been undertaken. This volume contains chapters from investigators in a range of disciplines with interests in comparative cognition. The studies described characterize the emergence of number-related abilities in rats, pigeons, chimpanzees, and humans, bringing together -- for the first time in one volume -- the rich diversity of cognitive capabilities demonstrated throughout many species. The data and theoretical perspectives shared will likely serve to provoke much thought and discussion among comparative psychologists and fuel new research and interest in the field of animal cognition.

Download or read book On the Move written by Sue Boinski and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2000-05-15 with total page 832 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines social, cognitive, and ecological processes that underlie patterns and strategies of group travel. Chapters discuss how factors such as group size, resource distribution, and costs of travel affect individual and group exploitation of the environment. Most chapters focus on field studies of human and nonhuman primate groups, from squirrel monkeys to Turkana pastoralists. Chapters on other species provide a broad taxonomic perspective. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Download or read book Cognition Evolution and Behavior written by Sara J. Shettleworth and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-12-30 with total page 720 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do animals perceive the world, learn, remember, search for food or mates, communicate, and find their way around? Do any nonhuman animals count, imitate one another, use a language, or have a culture? What are the uses of cognition in nature and how might it have evolved? What is the current status of Darwin's claim that other species share the same "mental powers" as humans, but to different degrees? In this completely revised second edition of Cognition, Evolution, and Behavior, Sara Shettleworth addresses these questions, among others, by integrating findings from psychology, behavioral ecology, and ethology in a unique and wide-ranging synthesis of theory and research on animal cognition, in the broadest sense--from species-specific adaptations of vision in fish and associative learning in rats to discussions of theory of mind in chimpanzees, dogs, and ravens. She reviews the latest research on topics such as episodic memory, metacognition, and cooperation and other-regarding behavior in animals, as well as recent theories about what makes human cognition unique. In every part of this new edition, Shettleworth incorporates findings and theoretical approaches that have emerged since the first edition was published in 1998. The chapters are now organized into three sections: Fundamental Mechanisms (perception, learning, categorization, memory), Physical Cognition (space, time, number, physical causation), and Social Cognition (social knowledge, social learning, communication). Shettleworth has also added new chapters on evolution and the brain and on numerical cognition, and a new chapter on physical causation that integrates theories of instrumental behavior with discussions of foraging, planning, and tool using.

Download or read book Language and Culture in Mathematical Cognition written by Daniel B. Berch and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-07-27 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Language and Culture in Mathematical Cognition, First Edition focuses on the role of linguistic and cultural factors in math cognition and development. It covers a wide range of topics, including analogical mapping in numerical development, arithmetic fact retrieval in the bilingual brain, cross-cultural comparisons of mathematics achievement, the shaping of numerical processing by number word construction, the influence of Head Start programs, the mathematical skills of children with specific language impairments, the role of culture and language in creating associations between number and space, and electrophysiological studies of linguistic traces in core knowledge at the neural level. Includes cutting-edge findings, innovative measures, recent methodological advances and groundbreaking theoretical developments Synthesizes research from various subdomains of math cognition research Covers the full complement of research in mathematical thinking and learning Informs researchers, scholars, educators, students and policymakers

Download or read book Continuous Issues in Numerical Cognition written by Avishai Henik and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-05-18 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Continuous Issues in Numerical Cognition: How Many or How Much re-examines the widely accepted view that there exists a core numerical system within human beings and an innate ability to perceive and count discrete quantities. This core knowledge involves the brain’s intraparietal sulcus, and a deficiency in this region has traditionally been thought to be the basis for arithmetic disability. However, new research findings suggest this wide agreement needs to be examined carefully and that perception of sizes and other non-countable amounts may be the true precursors of numerical ability. This cutting-edge book examines the possibility that perception and evaluation of non-countable dimensions may be involved in the development of numerical cognition. Discussions of the above and related issues are important for the achievement of a comprehensive understanding of numerical cognition, its brain basis, development, breakdown in brain-injured individuals, and failures to master mathematical skills. Serves as an innovative reference on the emerging field of numerical cognition and the branches that converge on this diverse topic Features chapters from leading researchers in the field Includes an overview of the multiple disciplines that comprise numerical cognition and discusses the measures that can be used in analysis Introduces novel ideas that connect non-countable continuous variables to numerical cognition

Download or read book Cognition Evolution and Behavior written by Sara J. Shettleworth and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-04-10 with total page 720 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do animals perceive the world, learn, remember, search for food or mates, communicate, and find their way around? Do any nonhuman animals count, imitate one another, use a language, or have a culture? What are the uses of cognition in nature and how might it have evolved? What is the current status of Darwin's claim that other species share the same "mental powers" as humans, but to different degrees? In this completely revised second edition of Cognition, Evolution, and Behavior, Sara Shettleworth addresses these questions, among others, by integrating findings from psychology, behavioral ecology, and ethology in a unique and wide-ranging synthesis of theory and research on animal cognition, in the broadest sense--from species-specific adaptations of vision in fish and associative learning in rats to discussions of theory of mind in chimpanzees, dogs, and ravens. She reviews the latest research on topics such as episodic memory, metacognition, and cooperation and other-regarding behavior in animals, as well as recent theories about what makes human cognition unique. In every part of this new edition, Shettleworth incorporates findings and theoretical approaches that have emerged since the first edition was published in 1998. The chapters are now organized into three sections: Fundamental Mechanisms (perception, learning, categorization, memory), Physical Cognition (space, time, number, physical causation), and Social Cognition (social knowledge, social learning, communication). Shettleworth has also added new chapters on evolution and the brain and on numerical cognition, and a new chapter on physical causation that integrates theories of instrumental behavior with discussions of foraging, planning, and tool using.

Download or read book Linguistic Influences on Mathematical Cognition written by Ann Dowker and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2017-06-16 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For many years, an abstract, amodal semantic magnitude representation, largely independent of verbal linguistic representations, has been viewed as the core numerical or mathematical representation This assumption has been substantially challenged in recent years. Linguistic properties affect not only verbal representations of numbers,but also numerical magnitude representation, spatial magnitude representations, calculation, parity representation, place-value representation and even early number acquisition. Thus, we postulate that numerical and arithmetic processing are not fully independent of linguistic processing. This is not to say, that in patients, magnitude processing cannot function independently of linguistic processing we just suppose, these functions are connected in the functioning brain. So far, much research about linguistic influences on numerical cognition has simply demonstrated that language influences number without investigating the level at which a particular language influence operates. After an overview, we present new findings on language influences on seven language levels: - Conceptual: Conceptual properties of language - Syntactic: The grammatical structure of languages beyond the word level influences - Semantic: The semantic meaning or existence of words - Lexical: The lexical composition of words, in particular number words - Visuo-spatial-orthographic: Orthographic properties, such as the writing/reading direction of a language. - Phonological: Phonological/phonetic properties of languages - Other language-related skills: Verbal working memory and other cognitive skills related to language representations We hope that this book provides a new and structured overview on the exciting influences of linguistic processing on numerical cognition at almost all levels of language processing.

Download or read book Mathematical Cognition written by Brian Butterworth and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is a collection of all papers published in Volume One of the journal "Mathematical Cognition". The aim of the journal is to provide a forum for explorations of how we understand mathematics and how we acquire and use mathematical concepts. The journal encourages an interdisciplinary approach to the field, and publishes advances in the study of the mental representation and use of mathematical concepts from a range of disciplines.; This first volume features contributions from cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, education, computational modelling, and neuropsychology.

Download or read book Handy numbers finger counting and numerical cognition written by Frank Domahs and published by Frontiers E-books. This book was released on with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We are born with a “number sense” - the ability to respond to numerosity, which we share with other vertebrates. This inherited numerosity representation is approximate and follows the Weber-Fechner law that governs sensory perception. As educated adults we can also use culturally developed abstract symbol systems to represent exact numerosities – in particular number words and Arabic numbers. This developmental stage is preceded by an apparently transient phase of finger counting and finger calculation. In fact, the use of fingers to represent number is ubiquitous across ages and cultures. Children use finger counting even if they are discouraged to do so, sometimes even before they are able to utter the number word sequence. Furthermore, finger counting strategies may also be used by adults diagnosed with dyscalculia to make up for a deficient or absent mental number representation. The advantages of finger counting are evident: Fingers are readily available and perceptually salient, finger-numerical representations support short term memory and they provide a transparent one-to-one relationship between to-be-counted objects and their representation. Obviously, however, these advantages only hold for small numbers. Fully transparent finger counting systems are limited to the number range between zero and ten. Larger numbers can only be represented in perceptually less salient or symbolic ways. In recent years, a growing body of evidence has suggested that finger-based representations of number do not form an arbitrary and transient stage of cognitive development. Rather, they seem to provide a good example of embodied cognition. According to this influential viewpoint, all of our knowledge is represented together with the sensory and motor activity that was present during its acquisition. As a consequence, even a supposedly abstract cognitive ability such as numerical cognition reuses the neural substrate and inherits functional properties of more basic perceptual and/or motor processes. Consistent with this assumption, finger counting habits and numerical processing do interact even in educated adults, casting doubts on purely abstract accounts of mental number representations. The objective of this Research Topic is to document embodiment signatures in number processing and calculation – a domain of cognition that was long considered to epitomize the abstract symbol manipulation approach to human cognition. To this end, we invite empirical contributions using different methodologies including behavioural, developmental, neuroscientific, educational, cross-cultural, and neuropsychological studies. Moreover, we also seek theoretical contributions, review articles, or opinion papers. Questions to be tackled may include, but are not restricted to the following: Is finger counting only a useful or even a necessary step towards the acquisition of symbolic number representations? What are the neural correlates of the finger-number relationship? Which features of finger counting influence adult number processing – both approximate and exact? How can finger counting systems be classified typologically and how do different finger counting systems influence numerical cognition across cultures and populations? Should finger counting and finger calculation be promoted or discouraged in maths education? How are disturbances of finger gnosis and numerical abilities linked? We hope that this Research Topic will bring together researchers from different backgrounds to fruitfully discuss a topic which has both scientific and every-day relevance.