The Nature and Development of Mathematics : Cross Disciplinary Perspectives on Cognition, Learning and Culture

From an infant’s first grasp of quantity to Einstein’s theory of relativity, the human experience of number has intrigued researchers for centuries. Numeracy and mathematics have played fundamental roles in the development of societies and civilisations, and yet there is an essential mystery to these concepts, evidenced by the fear many people still feel when confronted by apparently simple sums. Including perspectives from anthropology, education and psychology, __The Nature and Development of Mathematics__ addresses three core questions: Is maths natural? What is the impact of our culture and environment on mathematical thinking? And how can we improve our mathematical ability? Examining the cognitive processes that we use, the origins of these skills and their cultural context, and how learning and teaching can be supported in the classroom, the book contextualises each issue within the wider field, arguing that only by taking a cross-disciplinary perspective can we fully understand what it means to be numerate, as well as how we become numerate in our modern world. This is a unique collection including contributions from a range of renowned international researchers. It will be of interest to students and researchers across cognitive psychology, cultural anthropology and educational research. Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Outline of the book -- 1 Introduction: will 3 into 1 go? A multi-disciplinary view of emergent maths -- 2 Nature/genes: is maths natural? -- 2.1 Nature/nurture and the origin of individual differences in mathematics: evidence from infant and behavioural genetics studies -- 2.1.1 Commentary -- 2.2 An animal's sense of number -- 2.2.1 Commentary -- 2.3 Ethnomathematics and the emergence of mathematics -- 2.3.1 Commentary -- 3 Culture/environment: the impact of society -- 3.1 Early emergence of quantitative knowledge: implications for educational practice -- 3.1.1 Commentary -- 3.2 Number systems in Oceania: the cultural evolution of a cognitive tool -- 3.2.1 Commentary -- 3.3 Culture, the environment, and the impact of society: an educational perspective -- 3.3.1 Commentary -- 4 Improving maths attitudes/learning -- 4.1 Improving working memory to enhance maths performance -- 4.1.1 Commentary -- 4.2 What is mathematics? Perspectives inspired by anthropology -- 4.2.1 Commentary -- 4.3 Attitudes to mathematics, its teaching and learning: educational perspectives -- 4.3.1 Commentary -- 5 Discussion: does it all add up? -- Index