Ten-month-old infants' reaching choices for 'more': the relationship between inter-stimulus distance and number
Animals and human infants discriminate numerosities in visual sets. Experiments on visual numerical judgments generally contrast sets in which number varies (e.g., the discrimination between 2 and 3). What is less investigated, however, is set density, or rather, the inter-stimulus distance between...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2013-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00084/full |
| _version_ | 1819065071371812864 |
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| author | Claudia eUller Callum eUrquhart Jennifer eLewis Monica eBerntsen |
| author_facet | Claudia eUller Callum eUrquhart Jennifer eLewis Monica eBerntsen |
| author_sort | Claudia eUller |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Animals and human infants discriminate numerosities in visual sets. Experiments on visual numerical judgments generally contrast sets in which number varies (e.g., the discrimination between 2 and 3). What is less investigated, however, is set density, or rather, the inter-stimulus distance between the entities being enumerated in a set. In this study, we investigated the role of set density in visual sets by 10-month-old infants. In Experiment 1, infants were offered a choice between two sets each containing 4 items of the exact same size varying in the distance in between the items (ratio 1:4). Infants selected the set in which the items are close together (higher density). Experiment 2 addressed the possibility that this choice was driven by a strategy to 'select all in one go' by reducing the size and distance of items. Ten-month-olds selected the sets with higher density (less inter-stimulus distance) in both experiments. These results, although bearing replication because of their originality, seem consistent with principles in Optimal Foraging in animals. They provide evidence that a comparable rudimentary capacity for density assessment (of food items) exists in infants, and may work in concert with their numerical representations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T15:40:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-74b9ae9a4baf4d8a8901f61efb386171 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T15:40:38Z |
| publishDate | 2013-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-74b9ae9a4baf4d8a8901f61efb3861712022-12-21T18:58:30ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782013-03-01410.3389/fpsyg.2013.0008437210Ten-month-old infants' reaching choices for 'more': the relationship between inter-stimulus distance and numberClaudia eUller0Callum eUrquhart1Jennifer eLewis2Monica eBerntsen3Kingston UniversityUniversity of CambridgeUniversity of EssexUniversity of EssexAnimals and human infants discriminate numerosities in visual sets. Experiments on visual numerical judgments generally contrast sets in which number varies (e.g., the discrimination between 2 and 3). What is less investigated, however, is set density, or rather, the inter-stimulus distance between the entities being enumerated in a set. In this study, we investigated the role of set density in visual sets by 10-month-old infants. In Experiment 1, infants were offered a choice between two sets each containing 4 items of the exact same size varying in the distance in between the items (ratio 1:4). Infants selected the set in which the items are close together (higher density). Experiment 2 addressed the possibility that this choice was driven by a strategy to 'select all in one go' by reducing the size and distance of items. Ten-month-olds selected the sets with higher density (less inter-stimulus distance) in both experiments. These results, although bearing replication because of their originality, seem consistent with principles in Optimal Foraging in animals. They provide evidence that a comparable rudimentary capacity for density assessment (of food items) exists in infants, and may work in concert with their numerical representations.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00084/fullinfant cognitiondensity assessmentinfant numerical representationforaging strategies in infantsinfant reaching behaviour |
| spellingShingle | Claudia eUller Callum eUrquhart Jennifer eLewis Monica eBerntsen Ten-month-old infants' reaching choices for 'more': the relationship between inter-stimulus distance and number Frontiers in Psychology infant cognition density assessment infant numerical representation foraging strategies in infants infant reaching behaviour |
| title | Ten-month-old infants' reaching choices for 'more': the relationship between inter-stimulus distance and number |
| title_full | Ten-month-old infants' reaching choices for 'more': the relationship between inter-stimulus distance and number |
| title_fullStr | Ten-month-old infants' reaching choices for 'more': the relationship between inter-stimulus distance and number |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ten-month-old infants' reaching choices for 'more': the relationship between inter-stimulus distance and number |
| title_short | Ten-month-old infants' reaching choices for 'more': the relationship between inter-stimulus distance and number |
| title_sort | ten month old infants reaching choices for more the relationship between inter stimulus distance and number |
| topic | infant cognition density assessment infant numerical representation foraging strategies in infants infant reaching behaviour |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00084/full |
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