Young Children’s Numerical Processing Based on Fingers

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Subitizing refers to the rapid and accurate perception of small number sets, and is one of the important predictors of early childhood mathematics ability(Kaufman，1949). When the number of objects exceeds the range of subitizing, another processing strategy-counting is needed. Previous studies on the subitizing and counting mainly used dots as experimental materials(Gomez & Huron, 2020).The subjects were asked to quickly report the number of dots displayed on the screen to explore the characteristics of children's numberical processing. However, before symbols were used to represent numbers in the development of children, fingers were used to represent numbers first Fuson, 1988; Rusconi et al., 2005). This means that the use of fingers may be the basis of digital knowledge. However, it is not clear what the characteristics of children's processing are when the finger is used as stimulus material. This study uses eye tracking technology to explore the characteristics of children's finger-based processing. Specifically, we explored the standard pattern of children's representation of two-handed fingers in Numbers up to 10 as experimental stimulus materials.

We did two experiments together. A total of 87 children (ages 5.17 to 6.33) were asked to indicate with their fingers the number of candies on a picture printed with 1 to 10 candies. The video camera was used to record. According to the results of experiment 1, we obtained the standard pattern of children's fingers within 10, and took it as the experimental material for experiment 2. Experiment 2 randomly selected 61 children (3.42-6.25 years old) from a kindergarten in Hangzhou, and asked the subjects to state the number of finger representations on the screen as quickly and accurately as possible. There are practice trials before the formal experiment. A two-factor mixed experimental design of 3 (age: 3-4, 4-5, and 5-6 years old) * 10 (number of fingers: 1-10) was adopted. The subject's fixation duration, fixation points and saccades were recorded by EyeLink1000.

The results showed that when the number of fingers was within 3, it was in the range of children's subitizing. When it was above 3, as the number of representations increased, the children's perception ability gradually decreased, which was manifested in longer fixation duration, more fixation points, more saccades, lower accuracy, and longer reaction time. This was consistent with the research results using dots as materials. However, this study founded that when children processed the number representations of 5 and 10 fingers, the gap in number perception between the three groups of children tended to narrow. Children aged 4-5 and 5-6 years had been able to subitize the number of fingers represented by 5 and 10. Simultaneously, the fixation duration, the number of fixation points and saccades of three groups decreased. It could be seen that there is a certain difference between using fingers and dots as a numerical representation. The numerical representation of fingers had a certain particularity. There was a fixed pattern for the numerical representation of 5 and 10, so that children could subitizing instead of counting.

Authors

• Jiayan Zhong, Zhejiang Normal University (ZJNU)
  Presenting Author

• Qiong Xia, Zhejiang Normal University (ZJNU)
  Non-Presenting Author