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An Introduction to the Approximate Number System
Author(s) -
Odic Darko,
Starr Ariel
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
child development perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1750-8606
pISSN - 1750-8592
DOI - 10.1111/cdep.12288
Subject(s) - variety (cybernetics) , number sense , psychology , cognition , cognitive science , domain (mathematical analysis) , key (lock) , space (punctuation) , numerical cognition , value (mathematics) , epistemology , cognitive psychology , computer science , artificial intelligence , mathematics , mathematical analysis , philosophy , computer security , neuroscience , operating system , machine learning
What are young children's first intuitions about numbers and what role do these play in their later understanding of mathematics? Traditionally, number has been viewed as a culturally derived breakthrough occurring relatively recently in human history that requires years of education to master. Contrary to this view, research in cognitive development indicates that our minds come equipped with a rich and flexible sense of number—the approximate number system (ANS). Recently, several major challenges have been mounted to the existence of the ANS and its value as a domain‐specific system for representing number. In this article, we review five questions related to the ANS (what, who, why, where, and how) to argue that the ANS is defined by key behavioral and neural signatures, operates independently from nonnumeric dimensions such as time and space, and is used for a variety of functions (including formal mathematics) throughout life. We identify research questions that help elucidate the nature of the ANS and the role it plays in shaping children's earliest understanding of the world around them.

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