Can we count on order?

For many daily life activities we rely on calculation and insight in mathematical relations. Many factors contribute to the mathematics achievement level of an individual, one of them being efficient symbolic number processing. Despite the importance of symbolic number processing for mathematics achievement, it is yet unclear how we acquire the meaning of symbols. I will start with reviewing the evidence for the popular account that numerical symbols are learned through associations with their corresponding non-symbolic number (i.e. arrays of dots) and challenge this account on the basis of recent findings. Next, I will present an alternative way how numerical symbols can acquire meaning based on ordered relations (i.e. four comes after three, three after#). In this project, I describe a series of behavioral and imaging studies that will evaluate the plausibility of a symbolic representation based on order relations as a solution for the symbol grounding problem.

Keywords:count

Disciplines:Developmental psychology and ageing