The many studies with coin-tossing tasks in literature show that the concept of randomness is challenging for adults as well as children. Systematic errors observed in coin-tossing tasks are often related to the representativeness heuristic, which refers to a mental shortcut that is used to judge randomness by evaluating how well a set of random…

Children are very curious about the world around them. You may find them peering at tadpoles in a pond, counting ants on a log, or wondering about the stars, the sun, and the moon. I have been asked many times: Is the moon really made of cheese? Do astronauts live on the moon? Why does the moon look different every time I look up? Introducing…

Mathematics curricula in the early years emphasize exploring patterns as an important stepping stone to algebraic thinking. Key expectations for young children are for them to recognize and describe visual patterns in the environment. When children are asked to identify patterns, what criteria do they apply to make a decision and on what do they…