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The Small Number System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Eric Margolis
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Abstract

I argue that the human mind includes an innate domain-specific system for representing precise small numerical quantities. This theory contrasts with object-tracking theories and with domain-general theories that only make use of mental models. I argue that there is a good amount of evidence for innate representations of small numerical quantities and that such a domain-specific system has explanatory advantages when infants’ poor working memory is taken into account. I also show that the mental models approach requires previously unnoticed domain-specific structure and consequently that there is no domain-general alternative to an innate domain-specific small number system.

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Articles
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 87 , Issue 1 , January 2020 , pp. 113 - 134
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

†

I would like to thank Stephen Laurence, Gerardo Viera, and two anonymous reviewers for valuable comments on earlier drafts of this article. This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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