Memory capacity as the core mechanism of the development of space–time interferences in children

Abstract

This study investigated the development of spatiotemporal perceptual interactions in 5-to-7 years old children. Participants reproduced the temporal and spatial interval between sequentially presented visual stimuli. The time and spacing between stimuli were experimentally manipulated. In addition, cognitive capacities were assessed using neuropsychological tests. Results revealed that starting at 5 years old, children exhibited spatial biases in their time estimations and temporal biases in their spatial estimations, pointing at space–time interference. In line with developmental improvement of temporal and spatial abilities, these spatiotemporal biases decreased with age. Importantly, short-term memory capacity was a predictor of space–time interference pointing to shared cognitive mechanisms between time and space processing. Our results support the symmetrical hypothesis that proposes a common neurocognitive mechanism for processing time and space.