Children need to be exposed to numbers higher than three in order to really learn how to count, according to a new study published in the journal Developmental Science.
"We think that seeing that there are three objects doesn’t have to involve counting. It’s only when children go beyond three that counting is necessary to determine how many objects there are," explained study author Elizabeth Gunderson.
Researchers at the University of Chicago arrived at this conclusion after following 44 children between the ages of 14 to 30 months. The researchers made five visits to each child’s home and recorded interactions with parents.
At age four, the children were assessed for their understanding of the cardinal principle – where the number of objects is determined by counting them all and using the highest number reached.
The children who had been engaged in discussions and demonstrations about counting higher than three were more likely to understand this principle. Using abstract numbers and talking about numbers children couldn’t see – like ‘I’ll be there in five minutes’ – had no relation to how well they could count.
"The results have important policy implications, showing that specific aspects of parents’ engagement in numerically relevant behaviors in the home seem to have an impact on children’s early mathematical development," conclude the authors.