Representation of Number in Infancy

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议研究的总体目标是促进对生命第一年数学知识前兆的不断了解。复杂的文化依赖和符号数学建立的认知基础是什么？对成人、儿童、婴儿和非人类动物的研究表明，在系统发育和发育上，存在一种表示数字的原始非语言系统。这种竞争性更新的目的是测试非语言数字表征作为后来发展数字技能的基础的假设。为此，我们使用行为和神经生物学方法和纵向设计来研究数字认知规范性发展的变异性，以评估婴儿时期的数字敏感性是否可以预测儿童早期数字认知的变异性。目的1使用从未应用于婴儿期数字认知研究的新范式，考察数字歧视的个体差异以及数字歧视与数字规则学习之间的关系。目的1还对6-18个月的婴儿进行纵向研究，以评估数字敏锐度在发育过程中的稳定性。目的2采用纵向设计来探讨婴儿期数字认知的测量是否能预测儿童早期的数字辨别和数字符号映射。目的3探讨婴儿和儿童早期数字表征的大脑和行为测量之间的关系，以及婴儿数字识别的神经标记的特异性。除了研究婴儿数字敏锐度的正常发展，以及第一年可见的数字能力与后来发展的数字能力之间的关系之外，本研究还通过开发早期检测方法，为研究异常发展奠定了基础，这些检测方法可以识别有发育性计算障碍（DD）风险的儿童。DD影响全球约6%的人口（例如，Badian, 1983; Gross-Tsur, Manor, & Shalev, 1996）。婴儿期的数字敏锐度与幼儿期的数字敏锐度或婴儿期的数字敏锐度与幼儿期语言计数系统的习得之间的正相关关系，可以使儿童早期识别出DD。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The broad goal of the proposed studies is to contribute to a growing understanding of the precursors of mathematical knowledge in the first year of life. What is the cognitive foundation upon which complex culturally dependent and symbolic mathematics is built? Research with human adults, children, human infants and non- human animals suggests that there is a phylogenetically and developmentally primitive non-verbal system for representing number. The goal of this competitive renewal is to test the hypothesis that nonverbal numerosity representations serve as a foundation for later developing number skills. To this end we investigate variability in normative development in numerical cognition using behavioral and neurobiological methods and longitudinal designs to assess whether numerical sensitivity in infancy is predictive of variability in numerical cognition in early childhood. Aim 1 examines individual variation in numerical discrimination and the relationship between numerical discrimination and numerical rule learning using new paradigms never before applied to the study of numerical cognition in infancy. Aim 1 also studies infants longitudinally from 6-18 months to assess stability in numerical acuity over development. Aim 2 uses a longitudinal design to explore whether measures of numerical cognition in infancy predict later numerosity discrimination and numerosity-symbol mapping in early childhood. Aim 3 explores the relationship between brain and behavioral measures of number representation in infancy and early childhood and the specificity of neural markers to numerical discrimination in infancy. Beyond studying normal development of numerical acuity in infancy and the relationship between numerical abilities visible in the first year of life and later developing numerical abilities, this research sets the stage for studies of abnormal development by developing early assays that could identify children at risk for developmental dyscalculia (DD). DD affects approximately 6% of the global population (e.g., Badian, 1983; Gross-Tsur, Manor, & Shalev, 1996). A positive correlation between numerical acuity in infancy and early childhood or between numerical acuity in infancy and acquisition of the verbal counting system in childhood could lead to earlier identification of children with DD. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The broad goal of the proposal is to understand the development of non-verbal numerical thinking in infancy using behavioral and neurobiological assays. The studies are designed to assess individual variation and links between numerosity discrimination in the first year of life and later numerical abilities in an effort to set the stage for new assays to identify children at risk for developmental dyscalculia, a disorder that affects approximately 6% of the general public.