A Mental Number Line in Human Newborns

Autor/inn/en	Di Giorgio, Elisa; Lunghi, Marco; Rugani, Rosa; Regolin, Lucia; Dalla Barba, Beatrice; Vallortigara, Giorgio; Simion, Francesca
Titel	A Mental Number Line in Human Newborns
Quelle	In: Developmental Science, 22 (2019) 6, (10 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1467-7687
DOI	10.1111/desc.12801
Schlagwörter	Numbers; Cognitive Processes; Spatial Ability; Neonates; Numeracy; Brain + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Zahlenraum; Cognitive process; Kognitiver Prozess; Räumliches Vorstellungsvermögen; Neugeborenes Kind; Rechenkompetenz; Gehirn
Abstract	Humans represent numbers on a mental number line with smaller numbers on the left and larger numbers on the right side. A left-to-right oriented spatial-numerical association, (SNA), has been demonstrated in animals and infants. However, the possibility that SNA is learnt by early exposure to caregivers' directional biases is still open. We conducted two experiments: in Experiment 1, we tested whether SNA is present at birth and in Experiment 2, we studied whether it depends on the relative rather than the absolute magnitude of numerousness. Fifty-five-hour-old newborns, once habituated to a number (12), spontaneously associated a smaller number (4) with the left and a larger number (36) with the right side (Experiment 1). SNA in neonates is not absolute but relative. The same number (12) was associated with the left side rather than the right side whenever the previously experienced number was larger (36) rather than smaller (4) (Experiment 2). Control on continuous physical variables showed that the effect is specific of discrete magnitudes. These results constitute strong evidence that in our species SNA originates from pre-linguistic and biological precursors in the brain. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01