根據(jù)9月8日發(fā)表在英國《自然》（Nature）雜志的研究結(jié)果,，人類天生便具有數(shù)字直覺，這種直覺因人有很大差異,，且與高等數(shù)學(xué)能力息息相關(guān),。
在針對美國青少年進(jìn)行的實(shí)驗(yàn)里，科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn),，“略估數(shù)字系統(tǒng)”愈發(fā)達(dá)的人,，從小的數(shù)學(xué)成績就很不錯(cuò)。
報(bào)告指出,，這種未經(jīng)訓(xùn)練,、眨眼間就能大略估算數(shù)量的能力，在猴子,、老鼠和四個(gè)月大的嬰兒身上都看得到,，演化根源極深。
研究召集人,、美國約翰霍普金斯大學(xué)認(rèn)知科學(xué)家哈貝達(dá)指出：“舉凡覓食,、在公交車上找位子，或從某種鳥類的叫聲次數(shù)分辨是求偶還是警示,，這些都和‘約略數(shù)字系統(tǒng)’有關(guān),。”（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Nature，doi:10.1038/nature07246,，Justin Halberda,，Lisa Feigenson
Individual differences in non-verbal number acuity correlate with maths achievement
Justin Halberda1, Michèle M. M. Mazzocco1,2 & Lisa Feigenson1
Johns Hopkins University, Ames Hall, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
Kennedy Krieger Institute, 3825 Greenspring Avenue, Painter Building, Top Floor, Baltimore, Maryland 21211, USA
Human mathematical competence emerges from two representational systems. Competence in some domains of mathematics, such as calculus, relies on symbolic representations that are unique to humans who have undergone explicit teaching1, 2. More basic numerical intuitions are supported by an evolutionarily ancient approximate number system that is shared by adults3, 4, 5, 6, infants7 and non-human animals8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13—these groups can all represent the approximate number of items in visual or auditory arrays without verbally counting, and use this capacity to guide everyday behaviour such as foraging. Despite the widespread nature of the approximate number system both across species and across development, it is not known whether some individuals have a more precise non-verbal 'number sense' than others. Furthermore, the extent to which this system interfaces with the formal, symbolic maths abilities that humans acquire by explicit instruction remains unknown. Here we show that there are large individual differences in the non-verbal approximation abilities of 14-year-old children, and that these individual differences in the present correlate with children's past scores on standardized maths achievement tests, extending all the way back to kindergarten. Moreover, this correlation remains significant when controlling for individual differences in other cognitive and performance factors. Our results show that individual differences in achievement in school mathematics are related to individual differences in the acuity of an evolutionarily ancient, unlearned approximate number sense. Further research will determine whether early differences in number sense acuity affect later maths learning, whether maths education enhances number sense acuity, and the extent to which tertiary factors can affect both.
