Babies can do math before they can walk and talk
Babies can do math before they can walk and talk
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences seems to show that by the age of seven months infants have an abstract sense of numbers and are able to match the number of voices they hear with the number of faces they see. According to scientists, that means that babies are doing math before they can even talk. Those same scientists hope that their research could be useful in devising methods for teaching basic maths skills to the very young, you know, so your 3-year old can perform all those real life applications of the quadratic equation your algebra teacher was always talking about.
How does it work?
According to the BBC, “researchers played a video of two or three adult women strangers simultaneously saying the word “look” to babies aged seven months. The videos were displayed on two monitors positioned side by side as the babies sat on a parent’s lap. Audio tracks, synchronised with both videos, were played through a hidden speaker.” It turns out that the babies spent far more time looking at the display that matched the number of voices they heard to the number of faces they saw. “Our results demonstrate that by seven months of age, infants can represent the equivalence between the number of voices they hear and the number of faces they see,” the scientists wrote.
Other Articles of Interest
Fun activities to promote math skills: For the visual learner Go on a number safari. When you're driving around town, have your child look for numbers in street and store signs, and
What is a Learning Disability?: What is a learning disability? If your child seems bright and curious about the world but has a noticeable problem with speech, reading, or arithmetic, he
Early Warning Signs of a Learning Disability: How can I tell if my child has a learning disability? During the preschool and kindergarten years, children learn at different rates and with different styles.