Despite the fact that humans share 99.9% of our genes with modern-day chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), humans are busy building skyscrapers and sending rockets to the moon, while chimps continue to live as they have for millions of years. As Dr. Brian Hare has so nicely put it: "What is the little difference, that makes the big difference?"
While numbers and counting are not the abilities Dr. Hare had in mind when stating that question, language is an ability that has long been thought unique to humans. And when it comes to counting, language is the medium that allows children to transition from an impressive, but limited reliance on their number sense, to developing an adult-like understanding of numbers as they learn how to count. It is this, I would argue, that ultimately allows us to plan a successful mission to Mars, while chimps remain grounded here on Earth.
Advances in technology and the globalization of economies means it's becoming more important to be good at math. Earlier studies by Dr. David Geary have shown that school entry math abilities predict math achievement in 11th grade, which in turn will affect a student's employability and wage-earning potential as they enter the job market. Indeed, the more years of math education you have, the higher income you'll likely earn. At a more global level, our country is concerned about our relatively poor math scores compared to other countries. Our research thus aims to understand what early skills and abilities predict math achievement so help our children be succeessful in the future.
The first thing children do when they learn to count is to recite the number series: "One, two, three, four, ..." Many children can already recite the list from "one" to "ten" by 2 1/2 years of age. However, it takes them up to two more years to develop a full understanding of counting. Our research suggests that this achievement, becoming a proficient counter, may be the most important predictor of school entry math ability. Because children typically learn to count before they enter school, understanding which early abilities (number sense) support this learning can help us develop assessment tools and targeted interventions to ensure all children achieve this milestone before they enter kindergarten.
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