Enhancing the Symbolic Abilities of Preschoolers: Do Non-Symbolic Representations Outweigh Visual Features?

The Approximate Number System allows individuals to approximately perceive large quantities and is usually tested by comparing different dots array. However, during non-symbolic comparisons, performance can be impacted by visual and non-numerical attributes of the stimuli. Our study aims to explore the role of the quantities and size perception in preschoolers' in a double-digit numbers task. Different groups of participants were trained with a non-symbolic training involving pairing each two-digit coupling with the corresponding numerosities, with a size training pairing each coupling with a single dot of varying size or with a memory training. The results showed significant improvements in the non-symbolic and memory training groups but not in the size training group. This suggests that associating double-digit numbers with quantities, as in non-symbolic training, enhances early preschoolers' numerical abilities.