BIOMAT Database Logo BIOMAT Database Logo

Young infants' visual fixation patterns in addition and subtraction tasks support an object tracking account. 2017

J Gavin Bremner, and Alan M Slater, and Rachel A Hayes, and Uschi C Mason, and Caroline Murphy, and Jo Spring, and Lucinda Draper, and David Gaskell, and Scott P Johnson
Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UK. Electronic address: j.g.bremner@lancaster.ac.uk.

Investigating infants' numerical ability is crucial to identifying the developmental origins of numeracy. Wynn (1992) claimed that 5-month-old infants understand addition and subtraction as indicated by longer looking at outcomes that violate numerical operations (i.e., 1+1=1 and 2-1=2). However, Wynn's claim was contentious, with others suggesting that her results might reflect a familiarity preference for the initial array or that they could be explained in terms of object tracking. To cast light on this controversy, Wynn's conditions were replicated with conventional looking time supplemented with eye-tracker data. In the incorrect outcome of 2 in a subtraction event (2-1=2), infants looked selectively at the incorrectly present object, a finding that is not predicted by an initial array preference account or a symbolic numerical account but that is consistent with a perceptual object tracking account. It appears that young infants can track at least one object over occlusion, and this may form the precursor of numerical ability.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D008297 Male Males
D008433 Mathematics The deductive study of shape, quantity, and dependence. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed) Mathematic
D011340 Problem Solving A learning situation involving more than one alternative from which a selection is made in order to attain a specific goal.
D005260 Female Females
D005403 Fixation, Ocular Positioning and accommodation of eyes that allows the image to be brought into place on the FOVEA CENTRALIS of each eye. Focusing, Ocular,Ocular Fixation,Eye Gaze,Eye Gazes,Gaze, Eye,Gazes, Eye,Ocular Focusing
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001288 Attention Focusing on certain aspects of current experience to the exclusion of others. It is the act of heeding or taking notice or concentrating. Focus of Attention,Selective Attention,Social Attention,Attention Focus,Attention, Selective,Attention, Social,Selective Attentions
D014796 Visual Perception The selecting and organizing of visual stimuli based on the individual's past experience. Visual Processing,Perception, Visual,Processing, Visual
D032882 Comprehension The act or fact of grasping the meaning, nature, or importance of; understanding. (American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed) Includes understanding by a patient or research subject of information disclosed orally or in writing. Readability,Understanding

Related Publications

J Gavin Bremner, and Alan M Slater, and Rachel A Hayes, and Uschi C Mason, and Caroline Murphy, and Jo Spring, and Lucinda Draper, and David Gaskell, and Scott P Johnson
Visual tracking in young infants: evidence for object identity or object permanence?
April 1978, Journal of experimental child psychology,
J Gavin Bremner, and Alan M Slater, and Rachel A Hayes, and Uschi C Mason, and Caroline Murphy, and Jo Spring, and Lucinda Draper, and David Gaskell, and Scott P Johnson
Accommodation of visual tracking patterns in human infants to object movement patterns.
October 1971, Journal of experimental child psychology,
J Gavin Bremner, and Alan M Slater, and Rachel A Hayes, and Uschi C Mason, and Caroline Murphy, and Jo Spring, and Lucinda Draper, and David Gaskell, and Scott P Johnson
Addition and subtraction by human infants.
August 1992, Nature,
J Gavin Bremner, and Alan M Slater, and Rachel A Hayes, and Uschi C Mason, and Caroline Murphy, and Jo Spring, and Lucinda Draper, and David Gaskell, and Scott P Johnson
Object-based visual attention in 8-month-old infants: evidence from an eye-tracking study.
October 2013, Developmental psychology,
J Gavin Bremner, and Alan M Slater, and Rachel A Hayes, and Uschi C Mason, and Caroline Murphy, and Jo Spring, and Lucinda Draper, and David Gaskell, and Scott P Johnson
Learning by selection: visual search and object perception in young infants.
November 2006, Developmental psychology,
J Gavin Bremner, and Alan M Slater, and Rachel A Hayes, and Uschi C Mason, and Caroline Murphy, and Jo Spring, and Lucinda Draper, and David Gaskell, and Scott P Johnson
Addition by Subtraction in Mechanical Cardiac Support.
December 2023, JAMA,
J Gavin Bremner, and Alan M Slater, and Rachel A Hayes, and Uschi C Mason, and Caroline Murphy, and Jo Spring, and Lucinda Draper, and David Gaskell, and Scott P Johnson
Visual learning in multiple-object tracking.
May 2008, PloS one,
J Gavin Bremner, and Alan M Slater, and Rachel A Hayes, and Uschi C Mason, and Caroline Murphy, and Jo Spring, and Lucinda Draper, and David Gaskell, and Scott P Johnson
High-performance object tracking and fixation with an online neural estimator.
February 2007, IEEE transactions on systems, man, and cybernetics. Part B, Cybernetics : a publication of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society,
J Gavin Bremner, and Alan M Slater, and Rachel A Hayes, and Uschi C Mason, and Caroline Murphy, and Jo Spring, and Lucinda Draper, and David Gaskell, and Scott P Johnson
Visual Fixation Patterns During Viewing of Half-Face Stimuli in Adults: An Eye-Tracking Study.
January 2018, Frontiers in psychology,
J Gavin Bremner, and Alan M Slater, and Rachel A Hayes, and Uschi C Mason, and Caroline Murphy, and Jo Spring, and Lucinda Draper, and David Gaskell, and Scott P Johnson
Brain Activation during Addition and Subtraction Tasks In-Noise and In-Quiet.
April 2011, The Malaysian journal of medical sciences : MJMS,
Copied contents to your clipboard!