異類之不一樣的成功啟示錄 第158期:林恩的進化理論

"The Asian system is transparent," says Karen Fuson, a Northwestern University psychologist who has done much of the research on Asian-western differences.

“亞洲人的計算方法非常直觀，”一名西北大學的心理學家卡恩·弗森（Karen Fuson）說道，對于中西方的差異，弗森曾經(jīng)做過許多相關(guān)的研究，

"I think that it makes the whole attitude towards math different.Instead of being a rote learning thing, there's a pattern I can figure out.

“我認為這使得人們在學習數(shù)學時產(chǎn)生了完全不同的態(tài)度。如果不需要死記硬背，數(shù)學本身就有規(guī)律可循。

There is an expectation that I can do this. There is an expectation that it's sensible.

這樣，做題的人就會認為自己可以完成題目，認為答案是可知的。

For fractions, we say three-fifths.The Chinese is literally 'out of five parts, take three.'

以分數(shù)為例，我們說五分之三，就是‘three-fifths’，但是，中國數(shù)字的字面意思就是從五份中拿出三份，

That's telling you conceptually what fraction is. It's differentiating the denominator and the numerator.

這既能從概念上引導你知道什么是分數(shù)，也能引導你區(qū)分分母和分子。”

The much-storied disenchantment with mathematics among western children starts in the third and fourth grade,

西方的孩子在三、四年級開始，就會表示出對數(shù)學毫無興趣。

and Fuson argues that perhaps a part of that disenchantment is due to the fact that math doesn't seem to make sense;

弗森認為，或許是因為數(shù)學看起來沒有邏輯，因此他們對數(shù)學無法產(chǎn)生興趣。

it's linguistic structure is clumsy; it's basic rules seem arbitrary and complicated.

不僅西方的語言結(jié)構(gòu)不夠直觀，而且基礎(chǔ)公式既教條又復雜。

Asian children, by contrast, don't face nearly that same sense of bafflement.

相反，亞洲的孩子對數(shù)學不會產(chǎn)生困惑的感覺。

They can hold more numbers in their head, and do calculations faster and the way fractions are expressed in their language corresponds exactly to the way a fraction really is,

他們可以在頭腦里記住更多的數(shù)字并快速計算，分數(shù)直觀的輸出方式使他們很容易了解分數(shù)的原理——

and maybe that makes them a little bit more likely to enjoy math,and maybe because they enjoy math a little more, they try a little harder,

或許這會使他們對數(shù)學產(chǎn)生濃厚的興趣，或許正因為他們對數(shù)學更感興趣，因此在學習的時候會更加努力，

and take more math classes, and the more willing to do their homework, and on and on, in a kind of virtuous circle.

并且學習更多的數(shù)學課程，愿意做更多的家庭作業(yè)，長此以往，形成一種良性循環(huán)。

When it comes to math, in other words, Asians have a built-in advantage. But it's an unusual kind of advantage.

換句話說，亞洲人建立了一種內(nèi)在的優(yōu)勢。但這優(yōu)勢與其它優(yōu)勢不同。

For years, students from China, South Korea and Japan, and children of recent immigrants from those countries,

許多年以來，中國、韓國和日本的學生以及近期移民到西方國家的亞裔子女們，

have substantially outperformed their western counterparts at mathematics.

在數(shù)學方面的能力已顯而易見地高出許多同齡的西方孩子。

And the assumption has always been that it must have something to do with some kind of innate Asian proclivity for math.

由此，最常見的假設(shè)就是，亞洲人的內(nèi)在數(shù)學傾向一定有其特定的原因。

The psychologist Richard Lynn has even gone so far as to propose an elaborate evolutionary theory involving the Himalayas,

心理學家理查德·林恩（Richard Lynn）曾提出一種進化理論，他指出

really cold weather, premodern hunting practices, brain size, and specialized vowel sounds to explain why he believes Asians have higher IQs.

喜馬拉雅山脈的寒冷氣候、原始社會的打獵生涯、大腦的尺寸和某種獨特的元音導致了亞洲人擁有更高的智商。