Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41177008›Full record

ArticleCognition2026

Intuitions of mathematical curves in young children's drawings.

Lorenzo Ciccione, Marie Lubineau, Théo Morfoisse, Stanislas Dehaene

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cognition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

4 authors.

Lorenzo CiccioneCognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France; Department of Psychology, DysCo Lab, Université Paris 8, 93526 Saint-Denis, France. Electronic address: lorenzo.ciccione@cri-paris.org.
Marie LubineauCognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France; Collège de France, Université Paris Sciences Lettres (PSL), 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France.
Théo MorfoisseCognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France; Collège de France, Université Paris Sciences Lettres (PSL), 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France.
Stanislas DehaeneCognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France; Collège de France, Université Paris Sciences Lettres (PSL), 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France.

Funding

European Research Council 101095866
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

How sophisticated is young children's comprehension of geometric lines, curves and patterns, and how can we probe it? We investigated early proto-mathematical intuitions by asking kindergarteners (N = 39, 25 girls, 66 months) and first-graders (N = 42, 20 girls, 76 months) to draw the prolongation of mathematical patterns. Children's drawings revealed an early yet partial understanding of key mathematical properties such as linearity, curvature, periodicity, and compositionality. These abilities were confirmed in a second task, where participants were asked to select the correct prolongation among six options, ruling out motor entrainment as an explanation for the drawing task. These findings highlight children's emerging intuitions of proto-mathematical concepts and underscore the potential of drawing as a powerful and concrete tool for assessing early mathematical reasoning.

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentIntuitionMathematical ConceptsMathematicsChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMaleChild developmentCompositional reasoningDrawingGeometric patternsPattern recognitionProto-mathematics

Identifiers

PMID41177008
PMCPMC7618351

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.