Numbers and counting (4)

Question 1

What is relative numerosity discrimination?

Answer 1

Differentiating many v few

Question 2

Other than relative numerosity discrimination, what are the 3 other abilities involved in numerical competence?

Answer 2

Absolute number discrimination (1 different from 4)
Counting (1, 2, 3, 4)
Arithmetic (1+2)

Question 3

Who was the first to test relative numerosity discrimination in animals in 1913?
A Emmerton
B Lohmann
C Koehler
D Niemann

Answer 3

Kohler, C

Question 4

Emmerton, Lohmann and Niemann (1997) trained _______ to differentiate between _____ and ____ items, showing relative numerosity discrimination.

Answer 4

trained pigeons to differentiate between many and few

Question 5

Concepts of absolute number requires understanding that number is not intrinsically related to _____________________________________, but rather something __________.

Answer 5

not intrinsically related to physical characteristics/what you are counting, but something abstract

Question 6

Koehler also showed that a raven named _____ would choose pots with _ spots even when the ____ of spots varied by 50 times.

Answer 6

raven named Jakob would choose pot with 5 spots even when size of spots varied

Question 7

Matsuzawa shoed that a chimp called __ would correctly identify the number of ______ in a tray when it varied from _ - _.

Answer 7

chimp named Ai would correctly identify number of pencils (1-6)

Question 8

Animal studies using Jakob and Ai may not actually be evidence of counting, but what other ability?

Answer 8

perceptual matching

Question 9

What is an example of perceptual matching?

Answer 9

Animals not actually able to count, but can match perceptual features of a number of objects to arrays of the same number
Arrays of 4 objects have more in common with eachother than arrays of 2 or 7 objects

Question 10

Matsuzawa argued that Ai could actually count rather than perceptual matching, as she could __________________________, and not just pencils

Answer 10

transfer her ability to arrays of different items

Question 11

What 2 factors may be confounding number, suggesting that perceptual matching occurs rather than actual counting?

Answer 11

time
space - less items take up less space, vice versa

Question 12

Pepperberg, 1964 attempted to show that birds could count by having them do what?

Answer 12

having them count across different types of perceptual components (green blocks, or red circles), in the same array (array of green, red and blue blocks, and circles)

Question 13

Meck and Church (1983) trained rats with two different signals. After 2 noise pulses, rats were rewarded for pressing the ______ _______. After 8 noise pulses, rats were rewarded for pressing the _______ _______.

Answer 13

2 noise pulses = press left lever for reward
8 noise pulses = press right lever for reward
suggested absolute number discrimination

Question 14

What was one confounding issue with Meck and Church’s lever press noise signal study?

Answer 14

time - rats may be responding to total time rather than counting the number

Question 15

Meck and Church responded to the ‘time’ criticism, by altering their experiment in what way? Were they successful?

Answer 15

Having 2 noise signals last the same amount of time as 8 noise signals (4 seconds total).
Yes, animals were able to differentiate between the two by pressing different levers.

Question 16

Davis and Bradford, 1976 used food pellets to test counting in rats. When rats ate the wrong number of pellets the experimenter responded by ____________, but when the rat ate the correct number of food pellets, the experimenter responded by ________________.

Answer 16

If rat ate wrong amount of pellets experimenter would punish - loudly shout no
if rat ate right number of pellets experimenter would reward with petting and praise

Question 17

Gelman and Gallistel (1978) argued that counting is mapping ________ onto the _____________________. Humans use words or symbols as ______, whereas animals use non-verbal labels called ___________.

Answer 17

counting = mapping numerosity onto label representing numerosity
humans use words and symbols as labels (three, 3) whereas animals use nonverbal labels called numerons

Question 18

The processing of counting involves what 3 principles?

Answer 18

one-to-one principle - each item assigned to a numeron
stable order principle - numerons always assigned in same order
cardinal principle - final numeron assigned applies to whole display

Question 19

Counting is not just about label-numeron identification, but implies knowledge about what 3 things? Give examples

Answer 19

order of labels 1,2,3,4
ordinal - ordering of labels in relation to quantity i.e 3<4, 2>1
interval - size differences between items are the same 3-2=2-1

Question 20

Biro and Matsuzawa showed that ai the chimp could do what?
A Touch hieroglyphics in ascending order
B touch arabic symbols in ascending order
C Touch greek letters in ascending order
D touch latin numerals in ascending order

Answer 20

B touch Arabic symbols in ascending order

Question 21

Brannon and Terrace (2000) trained 3 chimps to order arrays of 4 items in _________, ________ and _______order, with items varying in _____, _____ and _____, and some items were even clip arts.

Answer 21

order arrays of 1-4 items in descending, ascending and random order
items varied in colour, shape size

Question 22

Brannon and Terrace’s chimps could order items in ________ and ________ order, but not __________ order.

Answer 22

could do descending and ascending order but not arbitrary order

Question 23

Brannon and Terrace’s chimps were able to do what after being able to order items in ascending and descending order 1-4?
Was ascending generalization as easy as descending generalization

Answer 23

they could generalize to orders of higher numbers
i.e 5, 6, 7, 8

Question 24

In Brannon and Terrace’s chimps, was ascending generalization as easy as descending generalization?

Answer 24

ascending generalization easier than descending, suggesting limited counting ability

Question 25

Boysen and Berntson, 1989, trained _____ the chimp to locate _______, and then pick the Arabic numeral which represented the _____________________ that were hidden. Sheba performed at a rate of __%.

Answer 25

Sheba the chimp located oranges and then picked the Arabic numeral which represented the total sum of oranges
85% rate of correct

Question 26

As well as oranges, Sheba could also count _____ with ______, and then work out the sum of ________ on the ______. This showed she could also understand the ______ scale.

Answer 26

Sheba could also count cards with numbers on them, and work out the sum of numbers on the card.
could also understand interval scale

Question 27

Dacke and Srinivasan (2008) showed that bees can count to __, and this ability could transfer to _____ items as well as studied items.

Answer 27

bees can count to 4 and this transfers to novel items

Question 28

One important thing shown by Boysen and Berntson (1995) is that chimps (or other animals) may be more ______ than they appear, and that tasks may have ________ ________, which once removed or changed can improve ________.

Answer 28

chimps more competent than they appear, and tasks may have contextual variables
once contextual variable constraints removed/ changed, performance improved.