Brain May Not Be Hard Wired to Link Numbers and Space

Neuroscience Intro: This is an introduction to an article posted on another website. The full article is available at the link below the article.

Is our ability to map numbers onto a physical space – such as along a line – a cultural invention rather than an innate ability?

Members of a remote tribe in Papua New Guinea understand the concept of numbers but do not map them along a line, which suggests that the ‘number line’ must be learned.

Researchers have long thought that the human brain is hard wired to associate numbers with physical space, and we naturally associate numbers with physical space. The idea received a boost in 2002 when it was discovered that people with brain damage who were unable to fully perceive one side of their body had trouble interpreting the number line – they claimed, for example, that five lies between three and six (Nature, DOI:10.1038/417138a).

Read the full article at New Scientist.

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10 Responses to Brain May Not Be Hard Wired to Link Numbers and Space

  1. Miguel Angel Escotet April 27, 2012 at 3:15 am

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  2. Antonio Casals M. April 26, 2012 at 9:42 pm

    "@MiguelEscotet: Brain May Not Be Hard Wired to Link Numbers and Space | #Neuroscience – http://t.co/JJMHCNkm"

  3. Josep Carmona Coca April 26, 2012 at 8:40 pm

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  4. emonalytics April 26, 2012 at 1:08 pm

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  5. Eunoe Care April 26, 2012 at 11:42 am

    Brain May Not Be Hard Wired to Link Numbers and Space: Neuroscience Intro: This is an introduction to an article… http://t.co/i1C8o09H

  6. memorymaster April 26, 2012 at 9:37 am

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  7. Greg Wright April 26, 2012 at 8:07 am

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  8. Clarissa Del Moral April 26, 2012 at 6:43 am

    Brain May Not Be Hard Wired to Link Numbers and Space: Neuroscience Intro: This is an introduction to an article… http://t.co/i1C8o09H

  9. CatherineMiglianoPhD April 26, 2012 at 2:26 am

    Brain May Not Be Hard Wired to Link Numbers and Space: Neuroscience Intro: This is an introduction to an article… http://t.co/i1C8o09H

  10. Neuro Now April 26, 2012 at 1:41 am

    Brain May Not Be Hard Wired to Link Numbers and Space: Neuroscience Intro: This is an introduction to an article… http://t.co/i1C8o09H

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