Do Infants Possess a Rudimentary Understanding of Numbers and Mathematics?

Abstract

This paper describes math as enrichment to the modern mind, both in the forms of intellectual advancement as well as creative development. Not unlike language, math uses abstractions as a means of communication and allows a kind of “speaking without thinking.” If mathematics truly is a kind of second language, it is worthwhile to understand the ways in which it develops within individuals and to examine at what age we actually begin to understand it. This paper reviews prominent views on these topics and concludes that, although infants possess a rudimentary understanding of mathematics, further research is needed to identify the exact age at which this understanding develops, and a study examining mathematical thinking among infants under the age of 4 months would be especially useful in advancing this area of inquiry.