Number sense
Number sense
Number sense
Number sense is considered as an innate numeracy skill, which not only humans but also some animals, such as fish and birds have. As the name says, it refers to sense of numbers. Number sense enables us to estimate the number of cars on the parking lot without counting them on-by-one, or to tell whether there are more people queueing in one line or in the other one.
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APPROXIMATE NUMBER SYSTEM (ANS)
It has been proposed that we use a system called approximate number system, ANS, when estimating magnitudes (e.g. object or dots) approximately, or making comparisons of numbers (1).
When testing what kind of number sense an individual has, researchers often use tasks, in which you need to compare a number of dots or number symbols. Those who have a good number sense often respond quicker and more accurately in these tasks compared to those with weaker number sense.
​
Look at the pictures.
Can you quickly estimate which of the pictures has more dots?
Number sense is considered as an innate numeracy skill, which not only humans but also some animals, such as fish and birds have. As the name says, it refers to sense of numbers. Number sense enables us to estimate the number of cars on the parking lot without counting them on-by-one, or to tell whether there are more people queueing in one line or in the other one.
​
APPROXIMATE NUMBER SYSTEM (ANS)
It has been proposed that we use a system called approximate number system, ANS, when estimating magnitudes (e.g. object or dots) approximately, or making comparisons of numbers (1).
When testing what kind of number sense an individual has, researchers often use tasks, in which you need to compare a number of dots or number symbols. Those who have a good number sense often respond quicker and more accurately in these tasks compared to those with weaker number sense.
​
Look at the pictures.
Can you quickly estimate which of the pictures has more dots?
Number sense is considered as an innate numeracy skill, which not only humans but also some animals, such as fish and birds have. As the name says, it refers to sense of numbers. Number sense enables us to estimate the number of cars on the parking lot without counting them on-by-one, or to tell whether there are more people queueing in one line or in the other one.
​
APPROXIMATE NUMBER SYSTEM (ANS)
It has been proposed that we use a system called approximate number system, ANS, when estimating magnitudes (e.g. object or dots) approximately, or making comparisons of numbers (1).
When testing what kind of number sense an individual has, researchers often use tasks, in which you need to compare a number of dots or number symbols. Those who have a good number sense often respond quicker and more accurately in these tasks compared to those with weaker number sense.
​
Look at the pictures.
Can you quickly estimate which of the pictures has more dots?
Team
Professor
Project leader
Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo
From 2022 primary: University of Oulu, Finland
Numeracy development, learning difficulties, eye-tracking
PhD student
Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo
Numeracy development, learning difficulties, eye-tracking
Professor
University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
Motivation, well-being, statistical analyses
Professor
Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo
Language development, learning difficulties
Academy Research Fellow
Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
Motivation, well-being
PhD, Postdoctoral researcher
Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
Motivation
Associate professor
Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland
Numeracy development, learning difficulties, well-being, statistical analyses
Professor
Department of Psychology, University of York, UK
Numeracy development, learning difficulties, eye-tracking
Associate professor
Department of Education, University of Uppsala, Sweden
Department of Psychology, University of Uppsala, Sweden
Numeracy development, eye-tracking
Researcher (01–09/2021)
Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo
Motivation
Scientific advisory board
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Annemie Desoete, University of Ghent, Belgium
Elin Reikerås, University of Stavanger, Norway
Nicholas Badcock, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia