Even Early Representations of Numerical Magnitude are Spatially Organized: Evidence for a Directional Magnitude Bias in Pre-Reading Preschoolers
Year: 2006
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Previous work has suggested that an important tool of adult numeric competence is a "mental number line" that codes increasing numeric magnitudes spatially and with a directional bias.Partly because the direction of this bias (leftto-right versus right-to-left) is culture-specific, it has been assumed that a directionally-biased mental number line is a late development.Our results, in contrast, suggest that nearly half of all preschoolers possess a directional magnitude bias and that those who possess this bias demonstrate competence in representing large numbers, a competence that is otherwise lacking in same-aged peers.Further, this directional bias does not appear to be related to pre-reading abilities, but instead seems to build on already existing preferences in counting direction.
Authors: John E. Opfer, Clarissa A. Thompson
Institution: The Ohio State University
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2619774337