Program Overview

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Course Introduction

The course "The Number Sense: How The Mind Creates Mathematics" is a professional elective course for high-year students majoring in psychology. The primary goal of this course is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the psychological research history in the field of mathematical cognition, enabling them to comprehend the research outcomes and methodologies from multiple angles and disciplines.

Course Objectives

The main objectives of this course are:

1. To understand the research history in the field of mathematical cognition.
2. To deeply comprehend and analyze the most classic research in mathematical cognition, including child research, animal research, and cross-cultural research.
3. To understand the research paradigms and methodologies in cognitive science and accurately interpret the results.
4. To cultivate a rigorous and empirical scientific spirit and foster interest in cognitive science.

Course Content

The course content includes:

• Individual development research, focusing on the development of mathematical cognition abilities in humans from birth.
• Phylogenetic development research, examining the mathematical cognition abilities of animals to understand the evolution of human mathematical abilities.
• Behavioral research on mathematical cognition in adults, revealing the rules and phenomena often ignored in daily life.
• Cross-cultural research, exploring the origins of mathematical abilities by studying civilizations with lower levels of development.
• Cognitive neuroscience research, investigating the brain mechanisms underlying various mathematical cognition processes.

Teaching Content and Time Allocation

The course is divided into several chapters, each with specific teaching requirements and content:

1. Introduction (1 hour): Introduction to the course content, textbooks, and schedule.
2. Chapter 1: "Genius" Animals (6 hours): Research on mathematical cognition in animals.
3. Chapter 2: Counting Babies (9 hours): Research on mathematical cognition in infants.
4. Chapter 3: Adult Number Sense (6 hours): Research on the number sense system and approximate number representation system in adults.
5. Chapter 4: Number Language (4 hours): The origin and evolution of spoken and written number symbols.
6. Chapter 5: Small Brains for Big Calculations (6 hours): Development of counting and calculation abilities in children.
7. Chapter 6: Genius and Prodigy (3 hours): The performance and causes of "mathematical genius" and "autistic prodigy."
8. Chapter 7: Lost Number Sense (2 hours): Mathematical ability impairment due to brain damage.

Textbooks and Learning Resources

The primary textbook is "The Number Sense: How The Mind Creates Mathematics" by Stanislas Dehaene. The course also includes classic child and animal research videos and online experimental records.

Teaching Strategies and Methods

The course combines lectures and discussions, with an emphasis on lectures and supplementary outside reading and in-class discussions of the reading materials.

Assessment Methods

The final evaluation adopts an examination approach, requiring students to design a research project related to the origins of mathematical cognition. The midterm score is based on class and forum discussions.