Using Perceptually Rich Objects to Help Children Represent Number: Established Knowledge Counts

Concrete objects are used to help children understand math concepts. Research suggests that perceptually rich objects may hinder children’s performance on math tasks relative to bland objects. However, previous studies have confounded the perceptual richness of objects with children’s established knowledge of the objects. The present study examined how these two factors influence children’s developing counting skill. Children (M age = 4 yrs, 1 mo) were randomly assigned to counting tasks that used one of four types of objects in a 2 (perceptually rich or not) x 2 (established knowledge or not) factorial design. Results revealed an interaction between the two factors. When children already had knowledge of the objects, perceptual richness hindered performance on the counting tasks. However, when children did not have established knowledge of the objects, perceptual richnes