Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Psychology Professor Wins $2.6 Million Grant to Study Numerical Cognition
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Psychology Professor Wins $2.6 Million Grant to Study Numerical Cognition
December 20, 2011
Medical Research, Press Releases
BEER-SHEVA, Israel, December 20, 2011 – Prof. Avishai Henik of the Department of Psychology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has won a prestigious European Research Council grant of more than $2.6 million (€2 million) for advanced research in the abilities and deficiencies of numerical cognition.
The goal of the study, “Size Matters in Numerical Cognition,” is to determine how important the ability to perceive and evaluate size is to the development of numerical ability. For example, it is possible that comparison of sizes and amounts (which glass has more water?) and evaluation of continuous magnitudes (how much water is in the glass?) are core abilities.
These skills are the basis for the development of numerical cognition. The research will examine human abilities in this area, the underlying brain system involved, and the possibility that this system (perception and evaluation of sizes and amounts) is the very first system (i.e., core system) that helps develop basic numerical skills.
It will include research on children and adults who experience typical development of numerical concepts and mathematical thinking, and children and adults who suffer from atypical numerical cognition development.
Additionally, the research will include work with lower animal species. Fish do not have a cerebral cortex, which is thought to be central in mental arithmetic, but they are still able to evaluate sizes very well. The research will also examine computational aspects (evolutionary algorithms) of the issues described above.
“In the last two decades, we have witnessed impressive strides forward in studies of numerical cognition and its deficiencies. The accepted view is that we are born with an innate ability to compare quantities; children learn very early to count, understand the numerical system, and acquire what is generally called the number sense,” explains Henik.
“Most researchers agree that the number sense is based on a core system centered on the ability to count and to compare different groups of items. Moreover, it has been suggested that various mathematical difficulties are due to a deficiency in this core system. Three to six percent of the population suffers from congenital difficulties in this area or what is generally termed developmental dyscalculia (DD) or mathematical learning disability (MLD). Interestingly, the prevalence of DD is similar to that of developmental dyslexia, but DD has been much less studied. Only in the last few years have we seen an effort to close the gap in the study of these two learning difficulties,” he added.
“With respect to difficulties in arithmetic, an interesting question is whether such difficulties are due to problems in perception and evaluation of sizes, or from a difficulty in associating sizes with numerical symbols. If a difficulty in perceiving and evaluating sizes exists and is connected to mathematical disability, it might be possible to identify such difficulty very early on, even before children start learning arithmetic,” he said.
The research will be carried out at the University’s cognitive neuropsychology laboratory in conjunction with researchers from BGU’s Departments of Life Sciences and Computer Sciences. Henik is the incumbent of the Zlotowski Chair in Cognitive Neuropsychology, a former dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and chairman of the Department of Behavioral Sciences.
The ERC Advanced Grant targets researchers who have already established themselves as independent research leaders in their own right. The purpose of the grant is to enable high-risk or unconventional research that could lead to major breakthroughs in the field. The grants are awarded in any research field for five years. The proposal is BGU’s first ERC advanced grant, although University faculty members have won several starting or early-career grants.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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