ABSTRACT
For some years now, I have contended that preschool children can and do count to represent the numerical value of a set of objects or pictures. I do not mean that the young child who is able to rattle off the number words is necessarily able to count. He may or may not be able to do so. It all depends on what else he can do with the list of words he rattles off. And as we shall see, the young child who is unable to rattle off the conventional words in the conventional order may nevertheless be able to count. In short, I do not rest my claim that young children can count on their ability to recite the conventional number words. If not this, then what? To what kind of evidence can I possibly be appealing? To answer this question, it is necessary to consider what is involved in counting. Thus, I begin my discussion with a summary of a counting model on which my husband and I have been working (Gelman&Gallistel, 1977). Next, I present data on the extent to which young children's “counts” are governed by the counting principles outlines in the model. 1 Finally, I address the questions of what does and what does not develop.
