Abstract
In the present study we investigated the role of spatial locative comprehension in learning and retrieving pathways when landmarks were available and when they were absent in a sample of typically developing 6- to 11-year-old children. Our results show that the more proficient children are in understanding spatial locatives the more they are able to learn pathways, retrieve them after a delay and represent them on a map when landmarks are present in the environment. These findings suggest that spatial language is crucial when individuals rely on sequences of landmarks to drive their navigation towards a given goal but that it is not involved when navigational representations based on the geometrical shape of the environment or the coding of body movements are sufficient for memorizing and recalling short pathways.
Highlights
Human beings develop navigational skills gradually and at distinct points in time [1; 2]
We investigated the role of spatial locative comprehension in a sample of typically developing children between 6 and 11 years of age
The samples of male and female children did not differ for age (F(1, 79) = 2.52, p = .11, partial eta-squared = .03) and performance on the Test for Reception of Grammar (TROG) (F(1, 79) = 2.09, p = .15; partial eta-squared = .02)
Summary
Human beings develop navigational skills gradually and at distinct points in time [1; 2]. During the first year of life, children start developing an awareness of their own motion in space. By the age of 6–9 months, they are able to find their bearings in the environment using only egocentric strategies (turning to the left/right to reach a target: [3,4,5,6]). At 11 months they start to use information pertaining to landmarks and landmark arrays [3; 4]. Egocentric information is gradually supplemented with allocentric coding. The relation-place strategies required for cognitive mapping start to develop around 7 or 8 years of age and are fully functioning by the age of 10 [7; 2; 8,9,10]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
