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Computational Evidence for the Subitizing Phenomenon as an Emergent Property of the Human Cognitive Architecture
Author(s) -
Peterson Scott A.,
Simon Tony J.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
cognitive science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.498
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1551-6709
pISSN - 0364-0213
DOI - 10.1207/s15516709cog2401_3
Subject(s) - phenomenon , enumeration , cognitive architecture , computer science , cognition , limit (mathematics) , property (philosophy) , cognitive science , theoretical computer science , context (archaeology) , architecture , task (project management) , artificial intelligence , mathematics , psychology , epistemology , discrete mathematics , engineering , philosophy , neuroscience , mathematical analysis , paleontology , art , systems engineering , visual arts , biology
A computational modeling approach was used to test one possible explanation for the limited capacity of the subitizing phenomenon. Most existing models of this phenomenon associate the subitizing span with an assumed structural limitation of the human information processing system. In contrast, we show how this limit might emerge as the combinatorics of the space of enumeration problems interacts with the human cognitive architecture in the context of an enumeration task. Subitizing‐like behavior was generated in two different models of enumeration, one based on the ACT‐R cognitive architecture and the other based on the principles of parallel distributed processing (PDP). Our results provide good qualitative fits to results obtained in a variety of empirical studies.