EARLY NUMBERS DEVELOPMENT: A DOMAIN GENERAL APPROACH

近年来，数字概念的发展被概念化为一个特定领域的过程，它由天生的机制和/或原则指导。这种概念化意味着数字概念的发展不同于其他概念，可能具有发展特权。然而，新的研究表明，数字的至少一个方面的发展--数字等价类的形成--受到相似性和命名的影响，其方式与其他概念(混合，出版中；正在审查中)大致相同。这里提出的三个项目旨在进一步调查领域一般程序在多大程度上适用于并解释数字概念的发展。具体地说，本研究将(1)使用简单的三联匹配任务来检验学龄前儿童的等价性判断是否受到集合中与数字无关的表面特征的变化的影响；(2)使用纵向设计来跟踪各种数字技能和概念的发展，以确定横断面研究中关于数字、比较和分类的发展趋势是否在个体发展中明显；以及(3)使用微基因训练实验来检验在其他领域发现的促进概念增长的经验是否对数字类别的形成具有类似的影响。如果数字概念像其他概念一样发展，它将为数字概念形成的机制提供重要的洞察，并为领域特定框架中被忽视的研究提供新的途径。它还将增加人们对已提出用来解释其他领域的比较和分类的发展过程的概括性的了解。

In recent years, the development of number concepts has been conceptualized as a domain specific process that is guided by innate mechanisms and/or principles. This conceptualization implies that number concepts develop differently from other concepts and may be developmentally privileged. However, new research indicates that development of at least one aspect of number- the formation of numerical equivalence classes- is affected by similarity and naming in much the same way as other concepts (Mix, in press; under review). The three projects proposed here seek to investigate further the extent to which domain general processes apply to and explain the development of number concepts. Specifically, this research will (1) use a simple triad matching task to test whether preschoolers' equivalence judgments are affected by variations in numerically irrelevant surface features of the sets; (2) use a longitudinal design to track the development of various numerical skills and concepts in order to establish whether developmental trends suggested in cross-sectional research on number, comparison, and categorization are evident in individual development; and (3) use microgenetic training experiments to test whether experiences found to promote conceptual growth in other domains have similar effects on the formation of number categories. If number concepts develop like other concepts, it would provide important insight into the mechanisms that underlie number concept formation and suggest new avenues for research that have been overlooked in the domain specific framework. It would also increase what is known about the generalizability of the developmental processes that have been posited to explain comparison and categorization in other domains.