Thanks AEH, I really appreciate the time you have already given me on this issue! I do think it's probably not an "either/or" situation that is happening here, there are probably multiple issues at play.
I just put out two limes and a green apple, thinking they were all limes (oops). And asked how many limes. At a glance "2". I realised my error and asked how many green things. "3" complete with an eyeroll.
So I tried a bunch of bananas and those were touch counted (correctly), which perhaps was reasonable as they were in a bunch and trickier to see at a glance...
So I tried a handful of gravel from a pot plant and specifically asked for a GUESS of how many. My guess was less accurate! I guessed 15 vs 20, there were 18 (though in the final count some very small bits I had not noticed were included). There were probably 15 decent sized pieces and 3 small bits.
So I would say yes, there is a decent sense of "how many" at that level.
