Topic: magnitude comparison

The ability to compare two magnitudes is observed in naïve animals in the absence of learning (Rugani 2016; McCrink 2007), but how this cognitive function emerges without training remains elusive. In monkeys, neurons in the prefrontal and parietal cortex were observed to respond selectively to the proportion between two magnitudes (Vallentin 2008, 2010), suggesting these units could be fundamental for innate magnitude comparisons. However, details of how these comparison units emerge without any learning also remain unclear. Here, we show that magnitude comparison units can arise spontaneously