Social Framing Induces Greater Attention to Numerical Information in 4-7-Year-Olds

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Topic - Cognitive Processes

Abstract

One of the greatest areas of struggle during young children’s math development is their understanding of fractions and proportions. Prior work has suggested that one reason why children tend to struggle with fractions and proportions is that young children focus on numerators and denominators as two separate numbers, rather than as a single relation between two values. Previous research has shown that in spite of young children’s struggle with fractions, even infants are adept at proportional reasoning when reasoning about the social actions of agents (e.g., Kushnir, Xu, & Wellman, 2008), b) that in spite of difficulties with difficult math concepts, children grasp a related social concept: sharing (e.g., Hamamouche, Chernyak, & Cordes, in press). We reasoned that social framing -- and in particular, sharing contexts, with which young children are relatively adept -- may draw children’s attention to relational information, and thus enhance their attention to proportion.

Using a variation of a match-to-sample task, we designed an interactive computer game in which 60 children (Mage = 5.2 years, range = 4.1 years to 6.9 years) viewed either an agent (Social Framing Condition) or a machine (Non-Social Framing Condition), first endowed with varying amounts of stickers, distribute ½ of the stickers to the child across 6 trials. Children completed trials in 2 blocks: a small number block (presented first; in which the person/machine had 2, 4, or 6 stickers to start) and a large number block (presented second; in which the person/machine had 10, 12, or 14 stickers to start). After each trial demonstration, children were given 8 stickers (which never exactly matched the machine’s amount and were asked to “give the stickers exactly the way the person/machine did”. Our critical DV’s were whether the children were likely to number match (give the same exact number of stickers the agent/machine gave) or proportion match (give the exact proportion the agent/machine gave). We ran two models using Condition, Trial Type, and the interaction to predict each of these DV’s.

Our results showed (a) Social Framing induced a marginally greater likelihood of proportion matching (Figure 1 and Figure 2a), ꭓ2(1) = 2.878, p = 0.090, and (b) Social Framing also induced a significantly greater likelihood of number matching (Figure 2b), ꭓ2(1) = 5.640, p = 0.018. Together, these results suggest that social framing draws children’s overall attention to numerical information (either proportional or whole number information). Liking the agent/machine did not predict either number or proportion matching; thus, results could not be explained by greater liking of the person over the machine. Finally, we found that children were more likely to number match during the small-number block than large-number block (Figure 2b), ꭓ2(1) = 5.640, p = 0.001.

Our results suggest an important link between social and numerical cognition, and that social framing may be a fruitful way to draw young children’s attention to numerical information.

Authors

• Jose Javier Medina Ramirez, University of California - Irvine
  Presenting Author

• Sara Cordes, Boston College
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nadia Chernyak, University of California - Irvine
  Non-Presenting Author