Nonverbal discrimination of more and fewer elements by children

Fifty-six prekindergarten and 174 kindergarten children learned to choose either the card with more or the card with fewer elements in simultaneous discrimination problems. Learning was faster when the card with more elements was positive, particularly when a zero-element card was involved. This difference appeared to be attributable in part to an initial preference for “more.” On transfer trials involving all possible pairings of the training cards, subjects generally performed as though their choices were governed by the concept “more” or “fewer”. This tendency increased with age and with experience in the situation, even though conditions made verbal mediation appear unlikely.