The Limits of Counting: Numerical Cognition Between Evolution and Culture
Sieghard Beller and
Andrea Bender*
Number words that, in principle, allow all kinds of objects
to be counted ad infinitum are one basic requirement for complex
numerical cognition. Accordingly, short or object-specific counting
sequences in a language are often regarded as earlier steps
in the evolution from premathematical conceptions to greater
abstraction. We present some instances from Melanesia and Polynesia,
whose short or object-specific sequences originated from the
same extensive and abstract sequence. Furthermore, the object-specific
sequences can be shown to be cognitively advantageous for calculations
without notation because they use larger counting units, thereby
abbreviating higher numbers, enhancing the counting process,
and extending the limits of counting. These results expand our
knowledge both regarding numerical cognition and regarding the
evolution of numeration systems.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bender{at}psychologie.uni-freiburg.de
