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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Young infants' visual fixation patterns in addition and subtraction tasks support an object tracking account
AU - Bremner, James Gavin
AU - Slater, Alan Michael
AU - Hayes, Rachel
AU - Mason, Ursula Charlotte
AU - Murphy, Caroline
AU - Spring, Joanne
AU - Draper, Lucinda
AU - Gaskell, David James
AU - Johnson, Scott
PY - 2017/10/1
Y1 - 2017/10/1
N2 - Investigating infants' numerical ability is crucial to identifying the developmental origins of numeracy. Wynn (1992) Nature, 358, 749-750, claimed that 5-month-old infants understand addition and subtraction as indicated by longer looking at outcomes that violate numerical operations (i.e., 1 + 1 = 1, or 2 – 1 = 2). However, her claim is contentious, with others suggesting that her results might reflect a familiarity preference for the initial array, or that they could be explained in terms of object tracking. To cast light on this controversy, Wynn’s conditions were replicated with conventional looking time supplemented with eye tracker data. In the incorrect outcome of 2 in a subtraction event (2 – 1 = 2) infants looked selectively at the incorrectly present object, a finding that is not predicted by an initial array preference account or a symbolic numerical account, but which is consistent with a perceptual object tracking account. It appears that young infants can track at least one object over occlusion, and this may form the precursor of numerical ability.
AB - Investigating infants' numerical ability is crucial to identifying the developmental origins of numeracy. Wynn (1992) Nature, 358, 749-750, claimed that 5-month-old infants understand addition and subtraction as indicated by longer looking at outcomes that violate numerical operations (i.e., 1 + 1 = 1, or 2 – 1 = 2). However, her claim is contentious, with others suggesting that her results might reflect a familiarity preference for the initial array, or that they could be explained in terms of object tracking. To cast light on this controversy, Wynn’s conditions were replicated with conventional looking time supplemented with eye tracker data. In the incorrect outcome of 2 in a subtraction event (2 – 1 = 2) infants looked selectively at the incorrectly present object, a finding that is not predicted by an initial array preference account or a symbolic numerical account, but which is consistent with a perceptual object tracking account. It appears that young infants can track at least one object over occlusion, and this may form the precursor of numerical ability.
KW - Addition
KW - Subtraction
KW - Number
KW - Object tracking
KW - Object files
KW - Infant perception
U2 - 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.05.007
DO - 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.05.007
M3 - Journal article
VL - 162
SP - 199
EP - 208
JO - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
JF - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
SN - 0022-0965
ER -