TY - JOUR
T1 - Reorientation in a rhombic environment
T2 - No evidence for an encapsulated geometric module
AU - Hupbach, Almut
AU - Nadel, Lynn
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank all the children and parents who participated in the experiments, Todd Burgess for building the apparatus, and Jennifer Paulson, Jessica Goldberg, and Lacey McNeff for helping with data collection. We would also like to thank Rebecca Gómez and Oliver Hardt for their continuous comments on our research. This work was supported by a Fellowship to A.H. from the German Research Foundation (HU 909/1-1), and a center grant to L.N. for Cognitive Science from the Flinn Foundation.
PY - 2005/4
Y1 - 2005/4
N2 - Reorientation behavior of young children has been described as dependent upon a geometric module that is incapable of interacting with landmark information. Whereas previous studies typically used rectangular spaces that provided geometric information about distance, we used a rhombic space that allowed us to explore the way children use geometric information about angles. Reorientation was studied in manipulatory space (Experiment 1) and locomotor space (Experiment 2) in the presence and absence of a salient landmark. In the absence of salient landmarks, 4- to 6-year-olds used geometric features to reorient in both spaces. When a salient landmark was available in manipulatory space, 4-year-olds used the landmark and ignored the geometry. Five- and 6-year-olds used the geometry, but in combination with the landmark. In locomotor space, this combined use was already seen at age 4, and increased with age. Taken together, these results offer no support for the notion that reorientation behavior in young children depends on an informationally encapsulated geometric module.
AB - Reorientation behavior of young children has been described as dependent upon a geometric module that is incapable of interacting with landmark information. Whereas previous studies typically used rectangular spaces that provided geometric information about distance, we used a rhombic space that allowed us to explore the way children use geometric information about angles. Reorientation was studied in manipulatory space (Experiment 1) and locomotor space (Experiment 2) in the presence and absence of a salient landmark. In the absence of salient landmarks, 4- to 6-year-olds used geometric features to reorient in both spaces. When a salient landmark was available in manipulatory space, 4-year-olds used the landmark and ignored the geometry. Five- and 6-year-olds used the geometry, but in combination with the landmark. In locomotor space, this combined use was already seen at age 4, and increased with age. Taken together, these results offer no support for the notion that reorientation behavior in young children depends on an informationally encapsulated geometric module.
KW - Cognitive development
KW - Geometric module
KW - Spatial memory
KW - Spatial orientation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=21744449660&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=21744449660&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cogdev.2005.04.003
DO - 10.1016/j.cogdev.2005.04.003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:21744449660
SN - 0885-2014
VL - 20
SP - 279
EP - 302
JO - Cognitive Development
JF - Cognitive Development
IS - 2
ER -