A formal model of number word acquisition

In acquiring number words, children exhibit a qualitative leap in which they transition from understanding the first several number words, to possessing a recursive system of interrelated numerical concepts. We provide a formal learning model that explains how this transition and several related developmental patterns can result from a single inductive learning mechanism. The model provides a Bayesian framework for studying the development of structured, recursive concepts and demonstrates how conceptual abstractions can be inferred from noisy, cross-situational evidence.