Work

Beyond the Approximate Number System: Evidence for spatialization of the Object Tracking System at birth

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Human numerical cognition relies on two core systems: the Approximate Number System (ANS), supporting approximate magnitude estimation, and the Object Tracking System (OTS), enabling precise individuation of up to 3 or 4 items. This study tested 32 healthy, full-term newborns (0-3 days old; 18 females) recruited from a maternity ward serving a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse population. Newborns familiarized with 2 elements (OTS range) preferred 1 element on the left, whereas those familiarized with 4 elements (ANS range) preferred 12 elements on the right. This pattern (η²p = 0.462) indicates that both numerical systems exhibit a shared spatial signature from birth, suggesting that spatial organization is a fundamental property of early numerical cognition.

Source: Child Development

DOI: 10.1093/chidev/aacag032

Authors: Vittoria Volpi, María Dolores de Hevia

Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Cité, Centre Neurosciences intégratives et Cognition

Language: English

Topic: Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills

Subfield: Statistics and Probability

Field: Mathematics

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Agence Nationale de la Recherche, CHIST-ERA

Award: Mental Space in Memory through Adversarial Collaboration: Exploring the Origins and the Developmental Course