Number versus extent in newborns’ spontaneous preference for collections of dots

The study investigated processing of number and extent in few-day-old infants. Using the visual preference technique, we showed that newborns were capable to discriminate between small sets of dot collections relying solely on implicit numerical information, when non-numerical continuous variables were strictly controlled (Experiment 1), or solely on continuous information, when numerical variables were controlled (Experiment 2). When number and extent were pitted one against the other (Experiment 3), newborns did not manifest any visual preference, suggesting that the two variables played a comparable role in attracting newborn's visual attention. In contrast to reports of dominance of continuous variables, these findings suggest that multiple dimensions can attract newborns’ attention and guide newborns’ visual exploration.