Language, Symbol Structure, and Cognitive Development

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Learning to read and to work with numbers are among the most basic symbolic skills children acquire. In order to distinguish characteristics of symbolic acquisition that are universal versus those that depend upon features of a particular language or symbol system, we will compare the development of reading and early mathematics by children who speak two very different language - English and Chinese. The proposed research will study the effects of three specific differences between Chinese and English on children's acquisition, use, and understanding of numbers and written language. Methods will range from eye-tracking studies of reading to model-based artificial counting training studies; in all cases the focus will be on the way that aspects of symbol structure affects different aspects of the acquisition, use, and understanding of symbols. Symbol systems, such as numbers and written words, are fundamental to human cognition. Symbol systems are structured in ways that make learning possible and may affect the way humans think about language and mathematics. Understanding the contribution of symbol structure to cognitive development requires comparative research, in which variation in symbol structure is related to variation in acquisition, use, and understanding of symbols. Such research is of practical as well as theoretical importance, because mastering symbol systems is at the heart of what it means to be an educated person.