Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39522180›Full record

ArticleTopics in cognitive science2026

Measuring Beyond the Standard: Informal Measurement Systems as Cognitive Technologies.

Roope O Kaaronen, Mikael A Manninen, Jussi T Eronen

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Topics in cognitive science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. When bases clash: cultural, cognitive and practical ramifications of numeration systems used in parallel.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Roope O KaaronenPAES Research Unit, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki.ORCID 0000-0002-2414-6974
Mikael A ManninenPAES Research Unit, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki.ORCID 0000-0002-8906-6502
Jussi T EronenPAES Research Unit, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki.ORCID 0000-0002-0390-8044

Funding

Academy of Finland 347305European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme 869471KONE Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This paper explores the role of measurement as a cognitive technology across human history, emphasizing the coexistence of formal and informal measurement systems. While standardized systems dominate contemporary culture and are well documented across large-scale societies of the past, this manuscript highlights the less explored domain of informal measurement practices that have been integral to daily life from the past to the present. Through the examination of body-based measurement systems and proportional heuristics, we demonstrate how these informal strategies were not merely precursors to formal standards but essential adaptive tools for solving everyday problems. Often, these informal solutions come with practical advantages. This manuscript calls for a broader recognition of their significance in cultural and technological evolution.

Indexed as

Cognitive ScienceHeuristicsHumansCognitive technologyCultural evolutionEthnometrologyHeuristicsHistorical metrologyMeasurementRules of thumb

Identifiers

PMID39522180
PMCPMC12831608

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.