Foundations of Basic Number Processing and Arithmetic

Numbers may appear as one integrated entity: However, as soon as we perceive a number, multiple basic number representations become activated. These representations are cooperating when we are solving complex arithmetic problems. In this article, we first introduce these basic number representations, their underlying neural circuits and exemplify why these representations may be important in diagnostics. Secondly, we discuss the development of some of these representations (magnitude representation, verbal number representation, representation of the place -value system) by introducing the most frequent experimental and diagnostic paradigms. Finally, we discuss impairments in the development of numerical cognition (developmental dyscalculia) and their specificity.