This study is an examination of developmental changes in children's use of pointing gestures to achieve an accurate count. 42 children at 3 ages (2, 4, and 6 yr.) were required to count objects (2, 3, 7, or 8) in two conditions, one in which they could not use pointing gestures and the other in which they were encouraged to do so. With increasing age, children's counting accuracy improved across both conditions; however, it was only at the 4-yr.-age that children's performance was significantly better with gestures. On the basis of these data, it is argued that the functional relation between the recitation of number names and children's pointing gestures in counting changes over the course of development.
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