W7 - Spatial Flashcards
(46 cards)
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).
