number cognition

Question 1

what is evidence for para 1

Answer 1

Gelman and Gallistel (1978)

counting requires nastery of several key principles: one to one correspondence (each object counted gets one number word), stable order (numbers are always recited in the same sequence), cardinality (the final number counted represents the total, abstraction (counting can apply to any items), and order irrelevance (objects can be counted in any order without affecting the results). these principles imply a symbolic and rule-based understanding of number that goes beyond perceptual awareness

Question 2

what is evidence 1 for para 2

Answer 2

Starkey and Cooper (1980)

infants were repeatedly shown displays of two objects until they lost interest. when shown a new dispplay containing three objects, their attention increased, a response termed ‘dishabituation’. this suggests that infants can discriminate between small quantities, perhaps indicating some sensitivity to numerosity

Question 3

what is evidence 2 for para 2

Answer 3

Wynn (1992)

violation of expectation method

infants watched as objects were placed behind a screen - say, one object placed, followed by another. when the screen was lifted, revealing either two objects (the expected outcome) or a single object (an ‘impossible outcome), infants looked longer at the unexpected result. this suggests they had formed an expectation that 1+1=2, and were surprised when the visual outcome did not match this. similar results have been reported with subtraction