The Relation between the Finger-Based Numerical Representations and the Understanding of Zero in Preschoolers

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Over the last decades, research on children’s numerical cognition has largely investigated how understanding of positive integer numbers develops during the first years of life. Conversely, studies that have specifically investigated by what means preschoolers can handle the number zero are scarce (Wellman & Miller, 1986; Bialystok & Codd, 2000; Merritt & Brannon, 2013; Pixner et al., 2018). In particular, it is unclear whether finger gnosis, which seems to play an important role in the development of number cognition (Butterworth, 1999; Fischer, 2008; Noel, 2015; Suggate et al., 2017) can also be useful to grasp both the cardinal and the ordinal meaning of zero. This study explores how the finger-based numerical representations and the knowledge of various properties of zero are related. 34 preschoolers (mean age=58.8 months, range=37-75 months, female=22, male=12), have been tested so far (expected N=50). Children completed a battery of numerical tests, including a) counting forwards and backwards tasks (from and until zero), b) Give-N task (Wynn, 1992; Sarnecka & Carey, 2008) to determinate the children’s understanding of the cardinality principle of both positive numbers and zero, c) a computer-based numerosity comparison test (adapted from Merritt & Brannon, 2013), testing whether children represent zero on a numerical continuum with the other numbers, and d) a finger-based configuration task. In a preliminary analysis children were categorized as “zero-knower” or “zero-not-knower”, with the Give-N task. Subsequently, the potential differences between these two categories were evaluated with regard to finger configuration and counting abilities using t-tests. The results showed that zero-knowers were significantly better than non-knowers of zero at counting abilities [t(32)= 3.12, p = .004] and at expressing finger numerical configurations [t(32)= 5.26, p < .0001]. In the next step, separate regression analysis with knowledge regarding zero (successful vs. not successful) and performance on numerosity comparisons with and without empty sets as dependent variables will be run, including finger configuration and counting abilities as predictors. We hypothesized that children with a better performance in the finger-based numerical representations have also a better knowledge of both the cardinal and ordinal meaning of “zero”. Definitive conclusions - expected by the end of October - await these analyses and the completion of the full sample.

Authors

• Giulia Vigna, Università degli Studi di Udine
  Presenting Author

• Silvia Benavides-Varela, Università degli Studi di Padova (UNIPD)
  Non-Presenting Author