Infants appear to understand numbers even before they can talk. By matching voices to images, a baby shows a grasp of the abstract concept of number. Babies are showing an internal representation of ‘two-ness’ or ‘three-ness’.
In a study that could shed light on how infants first grasp the concept of number–as well as the evolutionary origins of that ability–researchers have found evidence that babies have an abstract numerical sense even before they learn to talk.
Duke University scientists Kerry Jordan and Elizabeth Brannon published their findings the week of Feb. 13-17, 2006, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The research was sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Science Foundation and the John Merck Fund.
