Pragmatic Cognitive: From the Arithmetic of the Everyday to Artifical Intelligence

Draws on personal experience as a mathematics teacher in Mali to analyze the cognitive complexity of mental calculations in children & illiterate adults from diverse populations, & to test classical theories on knowledge & cognition being applied to current debates over artificial intelligence. Dichotomies between formal & informal knowledge, declarative & procedural knowledge, & scientific reasoning & common sense in the study of everyday arithmetic calculations are examined. Emphasis is placed on the importance of the implicit knowledge & local context in problem-solving techniques. It is suggested that the available empirical studies question the validity of tests of declarative knowledge in reporting real or effective competence & performance of an individual. 48 References. Adapted from the source document.