Journal of East China Normal University(Educationa ›› 2017, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (5): 138-145+163.doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2017.05.012

Previous Articles     Next Articles

A Review of Researches on Magnitude Representation

LIU Di, YANG Chun   

  1. Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
  • Online:2017-10-20 Published:2017-09-14

Abstract: The magnitude representation is the process of interpretation, expression and operation of the quantitative stimulus in the brain. It is an important part of the development of human cognition. The magnitude representation of children tends to be mature with age growth. The process includes four overlapping trends:a) representing increasingly precisely the magnitudes of non-symbolic numbers, b) connecting smallsymbolic numbers to their non-symbolic referents, c) extending understanding from smaller to larger whole numbers, and d)accurately representing the magnitudes of rational numbers. This study, based on behavioral and cognitive neuroscience on magnitude research in recent twenty years, further reveals the trend and inherent processing mechanism of the magnitude knowledge, and summarizes educational interventions and short-term trainings so as to improve children's mathematics ability.

Key words: magnitude representation, representation of non-symbolic numerical magnitude, representation of symbolic numerical magnitude, intervention