The development of body, environment, and object-based frames of reference in spatial memory in normal and atypical populations

Abstract

We devised a spatial memory task to distinguish between body- and environment-based spatial representations in typically developing 3–6-year-old children. These were compared with three clinical groups: individuals with Williams Syndrome (WS), a developmental disorder associated with severe visuo-spatial deficits; children born very prematurely, and children with perinatal events including focal lesions. Our questions were: (1) Are body- and landmark-based representations dissociable over the course of normal development? (2) Could visuo-cognitive difficulties in WS be explained by an impairment to a particular subsystem of spatial memory? (3) Do preterm children and those with perinatal brain injury show specific spatial memory impairments consistent with indications of abnormality on MRI?