Mastery of the logic of natural numbers is not the result of mastery of counting: evidence from late counters
To master the natural number system, children must understand both the concepts that number words capture and the counting procedure by which they are applied. These two types of knowledge develop in childhood, but their connection is poorly understood. Here we explore the relationship between the m...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2020
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/126643 |
| _version_ | 1826206564004921344 |
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| author | Jara-Ettinger, Jose Julian Gibson, Edward A |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Jara-Ettinger, Jose Julian Gibson, Edward A |
| author_sort | Jara-Ettinger, Jose Julian |
| collection | MIT |
| description | To master the natural number system, children must understand both the concepts that number words capture and the counting procedure by which they are applied. These two types of knowledge develop in childhood, but their connection is poorly understood. Here we explore the relationship between the mastery of counting and the mastery of exact numerical equality (one central aspect of natural number) in the Tsimane’, a farming-foraging group whose children master counting at a delayed age and with higher variability than do children in industrialized societies. By taking advantage of this variation, we can better understand how counting and exact equality relate to each other, while controlling for age and education. We find that the Tsimane’ come to understand exact equality at later and variable ages. This understanding correlates with their mastery of number words and counting, controlling for age and education. However, some children who have mastered counting lack an understanding of exact equality, and some children who have not mastered counting have achieved this understanding. These results suggest that understanding of counting and of natural number concepts are at least partially distinct achievements, and that both draw on inputs and resources whose distribution and availability differ across cultures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:34:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/126643 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:34:56Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1266432022-09-28T14:48:47Z Mastery of the logic of natural numbers is not the result of mastery of counting: evidence from late counters Jara-Ettinger, Jose Julian Gibson, Edward A Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences To master the natural number system, children must understand both the concepts that number words capture and the counting procedure by which they are applied. These two types of knowledge develop in childhood, but their connection is poorly understood. Here we explore the relationship between the mastery of counting and the mastery of exact numerical equality (one central aspect of natural number) in the Tsimane’, a farming-foraging group whose children master counting at a delayed age and with higher variability than do children in industrialized societies. By taking advantage of this variation, we can better understand how counting and exact equality relate to each other, while controlling for age and education. We find that the Tsimane’ come to understand exact equality at later and variable ages. This understanding correlates with their mastery of number words and counting, controlling for age and education. However, some children who have mastered counting lack an understanding of exact equality, and some children who have not mastered counting have achieved this understanding. These results suggest that understanding of counting and of natural number concepts are at least partially distinct achievements, and that both draw on inputs and resources whose distribution and availability differ across cultures. National Science Foundation (U.S.). (Grant 1022684) 2020-08-18T15:40:12Z 2020-08-18T15:40:12Z 2017-11 2019-10-01T15:33:42Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 2192-001X https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/126643 Jara-Ettinger, Julian et al. “Mastery of the logic of natural numbers is not the result of mastery of counting: evidence from late counters.” Developmental science, vol. 20, no. 6, 2017 © 2017 The Author(s) en 10.1111/DESC.12459 Developmental science Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ application/pdf Wiley PMC |
| spellingShingle | Jara-Ettinger, Jose Julian Gibson, Edward A Mastery of the logic of natural numbers is not the result of mastery of counting: evidence from late counters |
| title | Mastery of the logic of natural numbers is not the result of mastery of counting: evidence from late counters |
| title_full | Mastery of the logic of natural numbers is not the result of mastery of counting: evidence from late counters |
| title_fullStr | Mastery of the logic of natural numbers is not the result of mastery of counting: evidence from late counters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mastery of the logic of natural numbers is not the result of mastery of counting: evidence from late counters |
| title_short | Mastery of the logic of natural numbers is not the result of mastery of counting: evidence from late counters |
| title_sort | mastery of the logic of natural numbers is not the result of mastery of counting evidence from late counters |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/126643 |
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