Navarro Monica G, Braham Emily J, Libertus Melissa E
Department of Education, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Br J Dev Psychol. 2018 Nov;36(4):521-539. doi: 10.1111/bjdp.12234. Epub 2018 Jan 29.
From birth, humans are able to discriminate quantities using the approximate number system (ANS). However, previous methods have only been suitable to examine ANS functioning in infancy and older children. The goals of this study were twofold: first, to modify an existing method of assessing ANS functioning for toddlerhood; and second, to investigate individual differences in toddlers' ANS performance by examining correlations with their parents' ANS acuity. Using a preferential looking paradigm, we found that 1- to 3-year-olds (N = 46) looked significantly longer to numerically changing images compared to numerically constant ones suggesting that the paradigm is a suitable measure of ANS functioning in toddlerhood. Furthermore, we found a positive relation between toddlers' ANS performance and that of their parents (assessed using a non-symbolic number comparison task) independent of children's vocabulary or parents' perceived math ability or preference for math. These findings are consistent with a specific intergenerational transmission of the ANS. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Past methods used to examine ANS functioning were only suitable for infants and older children. Little research has examined sources underlying individual difference in ANS acuity. What does this study add? We developed a preferential looking task to assess ANS functioning in toddlerhood. Individual differences in toddlers' ANS functioning are correlated with their parents' ANS acuity.
从出生起，人类就能使用近似数字系统（ANS）来辨别数量。然而，以往的方法仅适用于检测婴儿期和大龄儿童的ANS功能。本研究有两个目标：其一，调整现有的评估幼儿期ANS功能的方法；其二，通过考察幼儿的ANS表现与其父母的ANS敏锐度之间的相关性，来探究幼儿ANS表现的个体差异。使用优先注视范式，我们发现1至3岁儿童（N = 46）在数字变化的图像上的注视时间明显长于数字不变的图像，这表明该范式是衡量幼儿期ANS功能的合适指标。此外，我们发现幼儿的ANS表现与其父母的ANS表现（使用非符号数字比较任务进行评估）之间存在正相关，且不受儿童词汇量、父母感知到的数学能力或对数学的偏好的影响。这些发现与ANS的特定代际传递相一致。贡献声明 关于该主题已知的内容有哪些？过去用于检测ANS功能的方法仅适用于婴儿和大龄儿童。很少有研究考察ANS敏锐度个体差异的潜在来源。本研究增加了什么内容？我们开发了一种优先注视任务来评估幼儿期的ANS功能。幼儿ANS功能的个体差异与其父母的ANS敏锐度相关。
