Familiarization in Infants' Perception of Addition Problems

Abstract

Previous research suggests that infants can calculate simple arithmetic (Wynn, 1992). This study sought to replicate this finding and examine how familiarization may influence response. Experiment 1 confirmed that 3- to 5-month-old infants looked longer at an incorrect outcome (1 + 1 = 1) when no familiarization trials were presented. Experiment 2 presented infants with 8 familiarization trials (either to the possible or impossible mathematical event). When familiarized to the incorrect outcome, infants looked longer at the correct outcome; however, when familiarized to the correct outcome, infants showed no preference for either display. Experiment 3 confirmed that infants could have become familiarized to both 1 and 2 dolls during the familiarization to the possible event and raised the possibility that infants may not process the display as a mathematical event, but rather as a series of unconnected stimuli.