ERIC Number: EJ1446837
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2731-5525
Questioning Weber-Fechner Law in Young Children's Numerical Estimation Strategies
Fernando J. Ballesteros; Bartolo Luque; Herminia Filgaira
Discover Education, v3 Article 206 2024
The subjective number-space mapping and, especially, its evolution in young children has been the subject of intense controversy among different competing models. Many studies point out that: (i) young children's innate estimates follow a logarithmic mapping (Weber-Fechner law) and (ii) driven by education, children evolve into a linear mapping. In this paper we show, in consonance with other investigations, that innate numerical intuitions of young children are in fact a linear mapping, and not a logarithmic one. We found that young children extrapolate linearly from a reference point. The apparent logarithmic mapping is an artifact produced by placing a huge range of numbers within a small number line. We show how the appearance of the mapping can be modulated by changing the size and contour conditions of the number lines used in experiments.
Descriptors: Concept Mapping, Numbers, Young Children, Child Development, Mathematical Applications, Mathematics Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A