Numbers are a fundamental part of human cognition, yet it remains unclear how symbolic numbers acquire their meaning and how numerical information is mentally represented. One influential account proposes that numbers are organized along an internal spatial representation—the mental number line—and that these spatial-numerical associations provide an important mechanism for understanding and processing numerical information. This project investigates the cognitive, developmental, and cultural foundations of these associations in order to better understand the origins of number sense and numerical cognition.
Numbers are a fundamental part of human cognition, yet it remains unclear how symbolic numbers acquire their meaning and how numerical information is mentally represented. One influential account proposes that numbers are organized along an internal spatial representation—the mental number line—and that these spatial-numerical associations provide an important mechanism for understanding and processing numerical information. This project investigates the cognitive, developmental, and cultural foundations of these associations in order to better understand the origins of number sense and numerical cognition.
In a series of studies, we examine (1) horizontal and vertical spatial associations for symbolic and non-symbolic numerosities in adults and children to investigate developmental trajectories, (2) cultural differences in the spatial organization of numbers to better understand the role of cultural experience, and (3) the contribution of mental imagery to the emergence of spatial-numerical associations.
Conference
Contribution
- Poster presented at the Ninth Annual Conference of the Mathematical Cognition and Learning Society, Padova, Italy, 2026MCLS_Booklet_OnlineVersion.pdf
