ABSTRACT
The study of numerical discriminations and arithmetic reasoning in animals is a profoundly interesting topic in animal cognition. It illustrates abstract categorization and conceptualization in animals in a way that may have lessons to teach us regarding the nature of categorization and conceptualization in general. It may also be a primitive and foundational aspect of animal mentation, one on which other processes build. The purpose of this chapter is to sketch the conceptual framework within which I believe studies of numerical abilities in animals can most profitably be analyzed. The framework derives largely from the modern mathematical understanding of the number concept and of the means for establishing numerical reference.
