Psychologie Cognitive Expérimentale

Stanislas DehaeneChaire Psychologie cognitive expérimentaleAnnée 2025-2026Collège de FranceColloque : Seeing the Mind, Educating the BrainTheme: Numerical and Mathematical DevelopmentIlluminating Fractions Learning: Neuronal Recycling of Non-Symbolic Ratios for Symbolic FractionsColloque - Edward Hubbard : Illuminating Fractions Learning: Neuronal Recycling of Non-Symbolic Ratios for Symbolic FractionsEdward HubbardRésuméWithin mathematics, fractions hold a special place. They present perennial difficulties to students, and yet, mastering fractions is a critical stepping stone towards algebra and higher-order mathematics. More than 20 years ago, Stanislas Dehaene suggested that fractions are difficult because they lack the intuitive perceptual foundation that permits us to readily comprehend whole numbers and instead may depend on formal and symbolic processes. Here, I will present research from my lab showing that fractions may indeed have a perceptual foundation, and that this perceptual foundation may be r