Number concepts without number lines in an indigenous group of Papua New Guinea.

PloS One
Rafael NúñezJürg Wassmann

Abstract

The generic concept of number line, which maps numbers to unidimensional space, is a fundamental concept in mathematics, but its cognitive origins are uncertain. Two defining criteria of the number line are that (i) there is a mapping of each individual number (or numerosity) under consideration onto a specific location on the line, and (ii) that the mapping defines a unidimensional space representing numbers with a metric--a distance function. It has been proposed that the number line is based on a spontaneous universal human intuition, rooted directly in brain evolution, that maps number magnitude to linear space with a metric. To date, no culture lacking this intuition has been documented. By means of a number line task, we investigated the universality proposal with the Yupno of Papua New Guinea. Unschooled adults did exhibit a number-to-space mapping (criterion i) but, strikingly, despite having precise cardinal number concepts, they located numbers only on the endpoints, thus failing to use the extent of the line. The produced mapping was bi-categorical and metric-free, in violation of criterion ii. In contrast, Yupnos with scholastic experience used the extent of the segment according to known standards, but they did so ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Dec 18, 2013·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Andrea Bender, Sieghard Beller
May 7, 2014·Developmental Science·Jeffrey N Rouder, David C Geary
Sep 30, 2015·Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science·Nora S NewcombeKelly S Mix
Aug 12, 2015·Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science·David Gaber, Dirk Schlimm
May 6, 2016·Frontiers in Psychology·Andrea Bender, Sieghard Beller
Mar 31, 2015·PloS One·Victor CandiaRafael Núñez
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Oct 20, 2018·Frontiers in Psychology·Andrea BenderSieghard Beller
Nov 20, 2016·Cognitive Science·Katarzyna Patro, Hans-Christoph Nuerk
Dec 2, 2018·Frontiers in Psychology·Eiko MatsudaKazuhiko Yokosawa
Sep 24, 2015·Cognitive Science·Rafael Núñez, Wim Fias
May 10, 2017·Psychological Science·Kensy CooperriderRafael Núñez
Feb 27, 2016·Cognitive Science·Andrea Bender, Sieghard Beller
Apr 24, 2018·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Elizabeth Y Toomarian, Edward M Hubbard
Mar 23, 2021·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Andreea S Calude
Aug 13, 2021·Science Advances·Benjamin PittSteven T Piantadosi

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