Babies' Intuition for Numbers Predicts Later Skill at Math

If a 6-month-old can distinguish between 20 dots and 10 dots, she’s more likely to be a good at math in preschool. Researchers suspect that this intuitive number sense may play into humanity’s unique ability to use symbols to do math. Some researchers asked those study participants to take math tests and judge approximate numbers on the spot, while others compared a participant’s current intuitive number sense to their past standardized math test scores. But these tests presented a chicken-or-egg situation: Does excelling at math sharpen a person’s ability to approximate numbers, or are people who are good at approximating numbers most likely to go on to excel at math? The study confirms that a child’s ability to approximate numbers seems to act as a foundation for developing math skills later in life.