We are pleased to announce the launch of the Krakow Seminar on Mathematical Cognition, a new monthly event series hosted by the MCLL. The seminar brings together researchers and practitioners interested in how the human mind learns and processes mathematics. It spans topics from neural mechanisms of numerical cognition and evolutionary foundations to mathematical learning and educational interventions. Our goal is to foster interdisciplinary exchange across cognitive psychology, neuroscience, education, and related fields, advancing both theoretical understanding and effective approaches to teaching and learning mathematics. The seminar is open to all interested in the science of mathematical thinking.
The mental representation of numerical magnitude has often been described in spatial terms, for example by the metaphor of the mental number line. I will report recent findings that put this assumption to a test. By probing whether signatures of spatial representation can be found in temporal cognition or newly acquired conceptual knowledge, I explore whether we can generalise the principles that structure our thinking beyond the numerical domain.
Mariagrazia Ranzini presented prior and current evidence suggesting that higher mathematical competence is associated with more independent numerical processing, characterized by reduced reliance on other cognitive functions such as spatial cognition or sensorimotor processes.
