Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Budapest CEU Conference on Cognitive Development , Budapest, Macaristan, 4 - 06 Ocak 2024, ss.121
Previous research focuses on children’s perception of numerical infinity (Chu et al., 2020). However, conceptualizing infinity through an object by defining a repeated process (procedural infinity) may be effective to investigate children’s understanding of different infinity types such as basic infinity or infinitesimal (infinite series approaching zero) at an early age. Additionally, children’s expectations of younger children’s perception on numeric and procedural infinity may highlight the relation between learning the mechanism of the repeated process and infinity comprehension. The present study first examines children’s understanding of infinity through numerical and procedural infinity (story about an object’s theoretical continuum where physical constraints don’t apply). Through the follow-up questions, the study secondly investigates children’s perceptions of two types of infinity (infinity and infinitesimals) and thirdly what they expect younger children to know about infinity. The study’s participants are 30 children aged 6-7 who answer questions about different types of infinity through numeric and procedural tasks and who are asked to predict younger children’s perspectives about the same questions. The 6-7-year-old children are expected to comprehend numerical infinity and to expect younger children to not comprehend the concept. The children are also expected to not comprehend numerical infinitesimals and to not expect younger children to understand the concept either. However, for the procedural infinity task, the children are expected to both comprehend infinity and infinitesimals, as well as to also imagine younger children to be able to comprehend these concepts. These findings will help illuminate the question of how children grasp infinity. Their understanding hinges on knowing the underlying principles of infinity. By teaching these principles early by telling a story of an object division process rather than a numeric continuum, we believe children will be able to recognize the concept of infinity sooner and to anticipate the same from their younger peers.