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Specific and general underpinnings to number; parallel development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2008

Antonio Martins-Mourao  and
Annette Karmiloff-Smith
Antonio Martins-Mourao
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Bedfordshire, Park Square, Luton LU1 3JU, United Kingdom
Annette Karmiloff-Smith
Affiliation:
Developmental Neurocognition Lab, Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, School of Psychology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdomantonio.mourao@beds.ac.uka.karmiloff-smith@bbk.ac.uk
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Abstract

In this commentary, we outline an epistemological continuum between earlier and later number concepts, showing how empirical findings support the view that specific and general underpinnings to number develop in parallel in children; and we raise the question, based on cross-syndrome comparisons in infancy, as to whether exact or approximate number abilities underlie these later skills.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 31 , Issue 6 , December 2008 , pp. 661
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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