Unveiling the Black Box of the Human Mind: Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Knowledge Acquisition in Toddlerhood

One of the most critical quests of developmental scientists is the discovery of the origin of human knowledge such as numerical and mathematical knowledge. Uncovering the neural mechanisms
of numerical knowledge leads to better insights about human cognition and individual differences. It may also help establish earlier diagnoses and more effective interventions in children at risk of learning disorders (i.e., mathematical disability). Following a recent systematic review (Soltanlou et al., in preparation), there is currently no neuroimaging study of numerical cognition in
toddlerhood (age 1 to 3 years old). This is a critical time in human numerical knowledge acquisition because children start a transition from concrete and non-symbolic knowledge (e.g.,
"ooo" is more than "oo" without knowing how many they are) to abstract and symbolic knowledge (e.g., "ooo" means "3" and "three"). In this longitudinal project, neural correlates of
non-symbolic and symbolic numerical knowledge will be tracked in toddlers at three time points. In number processing tasks, the neural responses of the parents' will be investigated to provide
intergenerational insights about parent-child neural similarities. The neurocognitive changes within the bilateral frontoparietal network of mathematical cognition, specifically the bilateral
intraparietal sulcus (as the pivotal region in magnitude processing) will be recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Additionally, the study will investigate various
cognitive processes to understand domain-general processes that contribute to numerical knowledge acquisition. As the project progresses, it aims to uncover neural mechanisms in
numerical knowledge acquisition, laying groundwork for developmental psychology and education.