Gross Hans J
BEEgroup & Chair of Biochemistry; Biocenter; University of Würzburg; Würzburg, Germany.
Commun Integr Biol. 2011 Sep;4(5):594-7. doi: 10.4161/cib.16677. Epub 2011 Sep 1.
Human inborn numerical competence means our ability to recognize object numbers precisely under circumstances which do not allow sequential counting. This archaic process has been called "subitizing," from the Latin "subito" = suddenly, immediately, indicating that the objects in question are presented to test persons only for a fraction of a second in order to prevent counting. In contrast, however, sequential counting, an outstanding cultural achievement of mankind, means to count "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8…" without a limit. The following essay will explain how the limit of numerical competence, i.e., the recognition of object numbers without counting, has been determined for humans and how this has been achieved for the first time in case of an invertebrate, the honeybee. Finally, a hypothesis explaining the influence of our limited, inborn numerical competence on counting in our times, e.g., in the Russian language, will be presented. Subitizing versus counting by young Down syndrome infants and autistics and the Savant syndrome will be discussed.
人类天生的数字能力是指我们在不允许顺序计数的情况下精确识别物体数量的能力。这个古老的过程被称为“瞬间识别”，源自拉丁语“subito”，意为突然、立刻，这表明相关物体仅在极短时间内呈现给测试对象，以防止计数。然而，与之形成对比的是，顺序计数作为人类一项卓越的文化成就，意味着可以无限地数“1、2、3、4、5、6、7、8……”。接下来的文章将解释人类数字能力的极限，即不通过计数识别物体数量的极限是如何确定的，以及在无脊椎动物蜜蜂的例子中这是如何首次实现的。最后，将提出一个假设，解释我们有限的天生数字能力在当今对计数的影响，例如在俄语中。还将讨论唐氏综合征幼儿、自闭症患者以及学者综合征患者的瞬间识别与计数情况。
