What is Number Sense?
Number sense is defined by psychologists as "the perceptual perception of a small number of changes". Everyone has a sense of number, and the sense of number is also reflected in all aspects of life. For example, when we look up at the starry sky, we can often intuitively see more stars in the grassland or field than in the city.
There are two types of number sense, one is that the number is smaller, generally less than 4 numbers, and we usually use the strategy of accurately perceiving the change in quantity, this process is called "sense number". Second, when the quantity is greater than 4, we usually use an estimation strategy to judge the change in the quantity, which is also called the "approximate number system" [(ANS)].
Sunshine Exhibition Hall of Beijing Science Center.
Brain and Cognition" exhibition area exhibit number sense arena.
Of course, the difficulty of estimating larger quantities varies, and the larger the quantity, the more difficult it tends to be. For example, if you have 5 soybeans on a plate and quietly put in 5 soybeans, you may noticeably feel the increase in quantity;However, if there are 500 soybeans on the plate and 5 soybeans are quietly added, the change in quantity may be difficult to detect.
In addition, everyone's number sense is different. For example, there are 30 soybeans on the plate, and 2 are quietly placed each time. Some people are able to perceive the change, while others are not.
Is number sense innate?
The difference in number sense between people comes from both physiological and environmental influences.
Physiologically, there is a dedicated area in the brain responsible for number sensing called the intraparietal sulcus (IPS). When this area of the brain is damaged, the patient will be unable to understand the numbers. Later, the field of cognitive neuroscience further discovered that the internal parietal sulcus is activated when people are engaged in number-related activities.
Internal parietal sulcus. In terms of the environment, whether it is children's development, education or daily life, it is inseparable from the sense of numbers. The "Guide to the Learning Xi and Development of Children Aged 3-6" points out that "in the process of learning natural things and using mathematics to solve practical life problems, children not only gain rich perceptual experience, fully develop visual thinking, but also initially try to classify, sort, judge, reason, and gradually develop logical thinking ability, laying the foundation for in-depth learning Xi in other fields." It can be seen that mathematical ability is one of the cognitive abilities that children focus on developing in the preschool stage.
Sunshine Exhibition Hall of Beijing Science Center.
Brain and Cognition" exhibition area exhibit number sense arena.
In the "Compulsory Education Mathematics Curriculum Standards" promulgated by the two mathematics curriculum reforms in China, "number sense" is put in the first place, and it is clearly pointed out that "the establishment of number sense will help students understand the meaning of numbers in real life and understand or express the quantitative relationship in specific situations." This fully shows that helping students develop number sense in the process of mathematics Xi is an issue that the curriculum standards emphasize and attach great importance to [2020].
Of course, math Xi is a complex process that requires not only number sense, but also broader cognitive abilities. We have to deal with numbers everywhere in our lives, and we have to feel the changes of numbers all the time.
In short, understanding and further developing number sense plays a pivotal role in everyone's life.
Want to know your number sense abilities?
In the "Number Sense Arena" exhibit, there are a total of 30 levels for you to challenge.
Sunshine Exhibition Hall of Beijing Science Center.
Brain and Cognition" exhibition area exhibit number sense arena.
In each level, there are two cards, each with a different number of dots of different sizes. Quickly observe and judge, which of the left and right two ** has more points, and then choose after prompting.
Once you have cleared all 30 levels, you will get your own data results. It includes a report of the results of this experience, the correct rate and response time of completing the questions, and the relative position of the results among other children of the same age in the country.
Whatever the outcome, it can only represent the outcome of this experience, and number sense is constantly evolving. I believe that with more learning Xi and practicing Xi, number sense will continue to develop!
Sunshine Exhibition Hall of Beijing Science Center.
Brain and Cognition" exhibition area exhibit number sense arena.
Let's listen to the fourth phase of "Brain Science" by teachers from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Want to know how your number sense is?Come to the "Brain and Cognition" exhibition area of the Sunshine Exhibition Hall of Beijing Science Center, and participate in the challenge here
References:
daniel b b. *sense of number sense implications for children with mathematical disabilities [j]. journal of learning disabilities, 2005 (38): 333−339.
halberda j, feigenson l. developmental change in the acuity of the “number sense”: the approximate number system in 3, 4, 5, and 6-year-olds and adults [j]. developmental psychology, 2008, 44 (5): 1 457−1 465.
piazza, m., et al. “tuning curves for approximate numerosity in the human intraparietal sulcus.” neuron (cambridge, mass.) 44.3 (2004): 547–555.
thompson, c a. “the representational alignment hypothesis of transfer of numerical representations.” thesis (ph.d.)-the ohio state university, 2008. print.
Review experts in this issue:
Professor Mei Leilei, Department of Psychology, South China Normal University.
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Digital Beijing Science Center.