Title |
Number Concepts without Number Lines in an Indigenous Group of Papua New Guinea
|
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Published in |
PLOS ONE, April 2012
|
DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0035662 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Rafael Núñez, Kensy Cooperrider, Jürg Wassmann |
Abstract |
The generic concept of number line, which maps numbers to unidimensional space, is a fundamental concept in mathematics, but its cognitive origins are uncertain. Two defining criteria of the number line are that (i) there is a mapping of each individual number (or numerosity) under consideration onto a specific location on the line, and (ii) that the mapping defines a unidimensional space representing numbers with a metric--a distance function. It has been proposed that the number line is based on a spontaneous universal human intuition, rooted directly in brain evolution, that maps number magnitude to linear space with a metric. To date, no culture lacking this intuition has been documented. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 7 | 32% |
Canada | 2 | 9% |
United Kingdom | 2 | 9% |
Belgium | 1 | 5% |
Denmark | 1 | 5% |
France | 1 | 5% |
Chile | 1 | 5% |
Unknown | 7 | 32% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 16 | 73% |
Scientists | 4 | 18% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 5% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 5% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 2 | 2% |
France | 1 | <1% |
Chile | 1 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Spain | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 107 | 95% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 32 | 28% |
Researcher | 16 | 14% |
Student > Master | 11 | 10% |
Professor | 8 | 7% |
Student > Bachelor | 8 | 7% |
Other | 27 | 24% |
Unknown | 11 | 10% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 47 | 42% |
Social Sciences | 21 | 19% |
Neuroscience | 6 | 5% |
Linguistics | 5 | 4% |
Computer Science | 5 | 4% |
Other | 14 | 12% |
Unknown | 15 | 13% |