Origins and Development of Generalized Magnitude Representation

Among the most fundamental of mental capacities is the ability to represent magnitude information such as physical size, numerosity, and duration. Accumulating evidence suggests that such cues are processed as part of a general magnitude system with shared more versus less representational structure. Here we review recent research with young children and preverbal infants suggesting that this system is operational from early in human life and may be far more general than currently believed. We present data suggesting that from early in development the representation of magnitude extends across modality (e.g., vision and audition) and beyond the “big three” dimensions of spatial extent, number, and time. We also speculate about particular properties of the general magnitude system, including the potentially special role of space in grounding magnitude information.