Number Words and Number Concepts

描述(申请人提供)：人类是唯一使用数字的动物--至少是像2007甚至7这样的精确数字。我们与其他物种分享了感知小而准确的数字如一、二、三的能力，也感知大而近似的数字的能力，如“约50”，而不是“约25”或“约100”。但只有人类才会使用既大又准确的数字--比如5，6，7，.。。人类也是唯一使用语言的动物，因此可以为数字创造外部的语言符号。因为孩子们在学会阅读之前就学会了说话，所以他们学习的第一个语言数字符号是数字单词：“一”、“二”、“三”。。。本研究探讨心理符号(数字概念)与语言符号(数字词)之间的关系。数字词仅仅是人类与生俱来的5、6、7等概念的便捷标签吗？或者，数字概念本身就是一种代代相传的文化发明？这项研究旨在回答两个非常基本的问题。首先，当一个孩子学到一个数字词的意思时，比如“二”或“五”，孩子是否构建了一个她以前没有的“二”或“五”的概念？或者，她只是简单地学会了一个标签，用来表示已经存在的“二女”或“五女”的概念？第二，数字词的意义是逐步学习的(如果数字概念本身是构建的，我们可能会预期)，还是一次性全部学习(如果孩子已经有了概念，我们可能会预期)？具体地说，本研究有两个目的。目标1是确定数字单词学习实际上是否意味着构建新的数字概念，或者仅仅是学习旧概念的新标签。例如，研究1将确定儿童对小数的注意力和记忆力是否在他们学习了小数的单词后有所改善。研究2将确定学习一个特定的数字词是否会使该数字成为“一对”、“几个”和“两个”等新数量词的候选含义。研究3将确定儿童何时理解一一对应是数字的基础。这意味着，例如五个物品的任何集合可以与任何其他五个物品的集合一对一地匹配，而不会有任何剩余的物品。目标2是确定数字单词学习的早期步骤。如果儿童在学习数字词义的过程中正在构建数字概念，那么有理由期待他们会比其他人更好地掌握数字词义的某些方面。研究4将告诉我们，当孩子们学习到数字词适用于离散量化而不是连续量化时。例如，你可以有“五个按钮”，但不能有“五个沙子”。研究5将告诉我们，当孩子们学习到数字词指的是集合的属性而不是个人的属性时。例如，绿色是单个海龟的属性，但五个是一组海龟的属性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Humans are the only animal to use numbers-- at least exact numbers such as 2007 or even seven. We share with other species the ability to perceive small, exact numbers such as one, two, and three, and also to perceive large, approximate numbers such as 'about 50,' as opposed to 'about 25' or 'about 100.' But only humans use numbers that are both large and exact-- numbers such as 5, 6, 7,. . . etc. Humans are also the only animal to use language, and thus to create external, linguistic symbols for numbers. Because children learn to speak before they learn to read, the first linguistic number symbols they learn are the number words: "One," "two," "three," . . . etc. This research asks how the mental symbols (the number concepts) are related to the linguistic symbols (the number words). Are number words just handy labels for ideas of 5, 6, 7, and so forth that humans are born with? Or are number concepts themselves a cultural invention that gets passed down from generation to generation? This research aims to answer two very basic questions. First, when a child learns the meaning of a number word such as "two" or "five," does the child construct a concept of 'twoness' or 'fiveness' that she didn't have before? Or does she simply learn a label for a concept of 'twoness' or 'fiveness' that was already there? Second, are the meanings of number words learned gradually (as we might expect if the number concept itself is being constructed), or are they learned all at once (as we might expect if the child already has the concept)? Specifically, this research has two aims. Aim 1 is to determine whether number-word learning actually means constructing new number concepts, or simply learning new labels for old concepts. For example, Study 1 will determine whether children's attention and memory for small numbers improves after they learn the word for that number. Study 2 will determine whether learning a particular number word makes that number available as a candidate meaning for new quantity terms like "a couple," "a few," and "both." Study 3 will determine when children understand that one- to-one correspondence is the basis for numbers. This means that any set of, for example, five items can be matched up one-to-one with any other set of five items, without having any items left over. Aim 2 is to identify early steps in number-word learning. If children are constructing number concepts in the process of learning number-word meanings, then it is reasonable to expect that they will grasp some aspects of the meaning before others. Study 4 will tell us when children learn that number-words apply to discrete quantification rather than continuous quantification. For example, you can have "five buttons" but not "five sand." Study 5 will tell us when children learn that number words refer to a property of sets rather than a property of individuals. For example, green is a property of an individual turtle, but five is a property of a set of turtles.