True Numerical Cognition in the Wild

Piantadosi, Steven T.; Cantlon, Jessica F.

doi:10.1177/0956797616686862

Cited by 35 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The ability to evaluate approximate numerosity is likely one of the most fundamental skills allowing animals to make successful choices for their survival. Such ability appears to be phylogenetically ancient, as it is widespread across species (Agrillo, Dadda, Serena, & Bisazza, 2008;Pepperberg, 2006;Piantadosi & Cantlon, 2017;Rugani, Vallortigara, Priftis, & Regolin, 2015), and ontogenetically innate, as it seems present from birth in human newborns (Izard, Sann, Spelke, & Streri, 2009;Xu, 2003;Xu & Spelke, 2000). Furthermore, it has been shown that approximate numerical abilities arise from a dedicated and genuinely perceptual brain mechanism (Anobile, Cicchini, & Burr, 2016a;Burr & Ross, 2008;Fornaciai, Cicchini, & Burr, 2016; but see Gebuis, Cohen Kadosh, & Gevers, 2016 for arguments against the existence of a dedicated mechanism for numerosity processing).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal feature integration shapes approximate numerical processing

Fornaciai

Park

2017

Journal of Vision

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Numerosity perception involves a complex cascade of processing stages comprising an early sensory representation stage followed by a later stage providing a conceptual representation of numerical magnitude. While much recent work has focused on understanding how nonnumerical spatial features (e.g., density, area) influence numerosity perception in this processing cascade, little is known about how the spatiotemporal properties of the stimuli affect numerosity processing. Whether numerosity information is integrated over space and time in the processing cascade is an important question as it can provide insights into how the system dedicated for numerosity interacts with other perceptual systems. To address these issues, in four independent experiments, we asked participants to judge the numerosities of various different kinds of dynamically presented dot arrays, such as dots randomly changing in their locations, moving in smooth trajectories, or flickering on and off. The results revealed a systematic overestimation of dynamically presented dot arrays, which implicates the existence of spatiotemporal integration mechanisms, both at the early sensory representation stage and the later conceptual representation stage. The results also revealed the influence of motion and color processing areas on numerosity processing. The findings thus provide empirical evidence that numerosity perception arises from a complex interaction between multiple perceptual mechanisms in the visual stream, and that it is shaped by the integration of spatiotemporal properties of visual stimuli.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal feature integration shapes approximate numerical processing

Fornaciai

Park

2017

Journal of Vision

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“…Nonetheless, there are open questions about dogs’ ability to discriminate arrays on the basis of other ensemble properties such as average element size, which was variable in the current study, but still may have been discriminable. In naturalistic settings, however, such information is highly correlated with numerosity and likely to be used in combination with numerosity [29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Canine sense of quantity: evidence for numerical ratio-dependent activation in parietotemporal cortex

Aulet

Chiu

Prichard

et al. 2019

Preprint

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47The approximate number system, which supports the rapid estimation of quantity, emerges early 48 in human development and is widespread across species. Neural evidence from both human and 49 non-human primates suggests the parietal cortex as a primary locus of numerical estimation, but 50 it is unclear whether the numerical competencies observed across non-primate species are 51 subserved by similar neural mechanisms. Moreover, because studies with non-human animals 52 typically involve extensive training, little is known about the spontaneous numerical capacities 53 of non-human animals. To address these questions, we examined the neural underpinnings of 54 number perception using awake canine functional magnetic resonance imaging. Dogs passively 55 viewed dot arrays that varied in ratio and, critically, received no task-relevant training or 56 exposure prior to testing. We found evidence of ratio-dependent activation, which is a key 57 feature of the approximate number system, in canine parietotemporal cortex in the majority of 58 dogs tested. This finding is suggestive of a neural mechanism for quantity perception that has 59 been conserved across mammalian evolution. 60 61 Keywords: approximate number system; canine cognition; quantity discrimination; fMRI; 62 parietal cortex 63 93 of cortex for representing non-symbolic numerical quantity, then activation in this region should 94 increase as the ratio between alternating dot arrays increases, despite constant cumulative surface 95 area and variable element size [17]. That is, a number-sensitive region of cortex will exhibit 96 greater activation when the numerical values of the stimuli presented are more dissimilar (e.g., 2 97 vs. 10 dots) than when numerical value is constant (e.g., 6 vs. 6 dots), consistent with Weber's 98 law [18]. 99 100 Methods 101 Participants 102 103 Eleven awake, unrestrained dogs (see Table 1 for demographic information), were 104 scanned in a Siemens 3T Trio MRI scanner. Prior to testing, all dogs completed a training 105 program to be desensitized to the scanner environment through behavior shaping and positive 106 reinforcement [19]. All dogs had previously participated in fMRI studies while viewing stimuli 107 on a projection screen but had no prior training on numerical discrimination. 108 109 Table 1. Dogs' demographic information Stimuli were 75 dot arrays comprised of light gray dots on a black background (800 x 130 800 px). For each numerosity used (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10), stimuli varied in cumulative area (i.e., the 131 total gray on each image). For each numerosity, cumulative area was either 10, 20, or 30% of the 132 total stimulus. For each numerosity, 15 unique stimuli were used (5 stimuli per cumulative area 133 value). In each stimulus, individual dot size varied up to 30%. Dot location varied randomly. 134Critically, these controls minimize the influence of non-numerical properties, in order to ensure 135 that the results can be attributed to changes in numerical value [20, 21]. In accordance with 136 current esti...

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“…The baboons decided about the direction of travel democratically, following the subgroup with the most individuals. The baboons’ behavior in choosing which subgroup to follow showed the ubiquitous signature of Weber's law: Accuracy at choosing the larger quantity decreased as the numerical values of the subgroups became more similar . Figure B shows that the baboons’ accuracy selecting the numerically larger subgroup decreased with the numerical ratio between subgroups (i.e., lower accuracy choosing the larger group as the numerical ratio approached 1.0).…”

Section: Object‐based Perception Constrains Quantity Representationmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The computational flexibility number affords could make it an optimal dimension for comparing sets of objects under natural conditions such as occlusion, interruption, and integration of sets across the senses, space, and time. This argument about the primacy of number in perception is supported by evidence that wild animals preferentially compare numerical values as opposed to mass or area during natural decisions ; furthermore, in computational models of set representation, number emerges spontaneously and independently of density and surface area during unsupervised statistical learning of sensory input . Additionally, number representation may have an added advantage for primates: It is an object‐based representation ideally suited to the object‐based nature of primates’ visual processing.…”

Section: Number Representation Is a Rational Quantitative Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

How Evolution Constrains Human Numerical Concepts

Cantlon

2017

Child Dev Perspectives

Self Cite

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The types of cognitive and neural mechanisms available to children for making concepts depend on the problems their brains evolved to solve over the past millions of years. Comparative research on numerical cognition with humans and nonhuman primates has revealed a system for quantity representation that lays the foundation for quantitative development. Nonhuman primates in particular share many human abilities to compute quantities, and are likely to exhibit evolutionary continuity with humans. While humans conceive of quantity in ways that are similar to other primates, they are unique in their capacity for symbolic counting and logic. These uniquely human constructs interact with primitive systems of numerical reasoning. In this article, I discuss how evolution shapes human numerical concepts through evolutionary constraints on human object-based perception and cognition, neural homologies among primates, and interactions between uniquely human concepts and primitive logic.

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True Numerical Cognition in the Wild

Cited by 35 publications

References 43 publications

Spatiotemporal feature integration shapes approximate numerical processing

Spatiotemporal feature integration shapes approximate numerical processing

Canine sense of quantity: evidence for numerical ratio-dependent activation in parietotemporal cortex

How Evolution Constrains Human Numerical Concepts

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