W7 - Spatial Flashcards
How do infants navigate their environment?
By using landmarks and spatial relationships.
What are the two types of spatial representation that develop in infancy?
- Egocentric representation – Self-centered frame of reference. 2. Allocentric representation – External frame of reference.
What are the two types of allocentric representation?
- Landmark-based – Objects represented relative to landmarks. 2. Absolute – Objects represented relative to landscape or celestial constancies.
How does language influence spatial understanding in early childhood?
Language supports encoding and retrieval of spatial information.
How do older children rely on spatial language for navigation?
They use spatial terms to represent and understand complex spatial relationships.
How does language enhance spatial reasoning?
Studies show that introducing spatial terms improves spatial reasoning and understanding of spatial relationships.
What are the three frames of reference used to encode spatial information?
- Egocentric (Viewer-Dependent) – Objects represented relative to one’s own body (“in front of me”). 2. Allocentric (Viewer-Independent) – Objects represented relative to landmarks (“by the door”). 3. Absolute – Objects represented relative to landscape or celestial constancies (“south of the room”).
Which frame of reference emerges first in infants?
Egocentric representation is thought to emerge first.
What does recent evidence suggest about the development of allocentric coding?
Infants may represent objects more objectively earlier than previously thought.
Which study investigated whether infants use geometric properties to locate objects?
Newcombe et al. (1999).
What age group did Newcombe et al. (1999) study?
5-month-old infants.
What were the two conditions in Newcombe et al.’s study?
Control condition – Object retrieved from the same place where it was hidden. Experimental condition – Object retrieved from a new location (~20 cm away).
How did infants respond in the experimental condition?
Infants looked longer when the object was retrieved from a new location.
What does this finding suggest?
Infants encode object location using the geometric properties of the environment.
Which study investigated whether infants use an allocentric frame of reference?
Kaufman & Needham (2011).
What task did Kaufman & Needham use?
Infants were habituated to an object (e.g., a pig-puppet) at a specific location on a table. Researchers tested whether infants encoded the object’s position using an egocentric or allocentric frame of reference.
What were the four test conditions in Kaufman & Needham’s study?
- Object remains in the same place relative to the table. 2. Object’s position changes relative to the table but remains the same relative to the infant. 3. Object’s position changes both relative to the table and the infant. 4. Object’s position remains unchanged relative to both table and infant.
How would infants respond if they used an egocentric frame of reference?
No response to the object’s change in position on the table.
How would infants respond if they used an allocentric frame of reference?
Increased looking time when the object’s position changed relative to the table.
What were the results of Kaufman & Needham’s study?
Infants dishabituated when the pig moved relative to the table. Indicates that infants can set up allocentric spatial representations by 6 months. Only increased looking time when the pig moved diagonally across the table.
What was the traditional belief about infants’ spatial representations?
That infants’ spatial representations were primarily egocentric.
What do recent studies show about infants’ spatial representations?
By 6 months, infants can encode spatial information using allocentric representations.
What environmental feature do infants rely on for allocentric encoding?
Landscape constancies.
Which researchers studied animal navigation using the disorientation task?
Cheng (1986) and Gallistel (1990).
How did rats perform in the disorientation task?
Rats learned the location of food based on room geometry. After disorientation, they returned to the corner with the same geometric properties.
What does this suggest about rats’ spatial cognition?
Rats rely more on geometric information than landmark-based information.
Which study tested human toddlers using a version of the disorientation task?
Hermer & Spelke (1994).
What were the two test conditions in Hermer & Spelke’s study?
All-white room (geometry only). Room with one blue wall (geometry + landmark).
How did toddlers respond when using only geometric information?
They behaved like rats, using only the geometric properties of the room.
How did adults perform when landmark information was available?
Adults used the landmark information to solve the task.
How did toddlers respond when landmark information was available?
They failed to combine geometric and landmark information.
How do toddlers reorient themselves after disorientation?
By using the distances and directions of environmental geometry.
Why do toddlers struggle to use landmarks for reorientation?
The core system of spatial cognition is blind to non-geometric features like color or patterns.
How does language help children with spatial information?
Language helps children combine geometric and landmark-based spatial information.
Which study investigated the role of language in integrating spatial information?
Shusterman et al. (2011).
What were the three types of verbal cues used in Shusterman et al.’s study?
Spatial Expression – “I’m hiding the sticker at the red/white wall.” Task-Relevant Non-Spatial Expression – “The red/white wall can help you find the sticker.” Task-Irrelevant Expression – “Look at this pretty red/white wall.”
How did toddlers respond when given a spatial cue?
They successfully used landmark information to find the sticker.
What does this suggest about the role of language in spatial cognition?
Language helps toddlers integrate geometric and landmark-based information into a single spatial representation.
Are infants’ early spatial representations purely egocentric?
No, they are capable of using both egocentric and allocentric coding.
At what age do infants begin to encode space using allocentric coding?
By 5–6 months.
What type of spatial cue do infants rely on early in development?
Geometric cues rather than landmarks.
Why do toddlers struggle to combine geometric and landmark information?
The core system of spatial cognition initially prioritizes geometric properties over landmarks.
What role does language play in spatial integration?
It facilitates the integration of geometric and landmark-based spatial information.
What two frames of reference do infants and toddlers have access to?
Egocentric and allocentric frames of reference.
What type of spatial information do infants and toddlers rely on most for early navigation?
Geometric properties of the environment.
How does language affect spatial cognition?
It helps integrate different types of spatial information into a single, coherent representation.
