Definition
Performing subtractions requires the capability to estimate the resulting difference between a first number, or quantity, minus a second one.
Introduction
In the field of animal numerical cognition, the capability to master subtraction is considered a complex numerical capacity, because it requires a manipulation of at least two numerical representations to produce a new representation (Vallortigara et al. 2010). The capability to subtract, together with the capability to perform additions, is the only arithmetic ability which has been proved in animals.
Arithmetic has been mainly investigated in animals for what concerns physical sets of objects. Animals’ arithmetic abilities differ from humans’ abstract arithmetic calculations. The latter are based on a complex system of symbols which refers to numbers and operation that can be performed on numbers, for example, 45–27 = 18. Hence, these can be defined symbolic-numerical abilities. Nonsymbolic numbers refer to the...
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Rugani, R. (2018). Subtraction. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1490-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1490-1
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