Foundational Cognitive Processes

Spatial functioning is a prerequisite to the survival of any organism that moves about in the world (e.g., Jacobs & Schenk, 2003). Several fundamental processes underlie human adaptation in this realm -- e.g., the ability to judge distances (e.g., Huttenlocher, Duffy, & Levine, 2002), the ability to combine information about distance and angle to form representations of overall spaces (e.g., Wang & Spelke, 2002), the ability to maintain spatial information during movement of self (e.g., Acredolo, Adams, & Goodwyn, 1984) or movement of other objects (Scholl & Pylyshyn, 1999; Rochat & Hespos, 1996), and the ability to mentally transform spatial information (e.g., Shepard & Metzler, 1971; Smith, Piburn & Reynolds, 1999). A basic theme of SILC research will be to understand these abilities, how they are transformed by the use of spatial symbols, why we see individual differences in them, and how education can support their development, especially among individuals who initially perform less well.

Point of Contact: Nora Newcombe

Relevant Background Publications

• Acredolo, L. P., Adams, A., & Goodwyn, S. W. (1984). The role of self-produced movement and visual tracking in infant spatial orientation. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 38, 312-327.
• Cheng, K. & Newcombe, N.S. (2006). Geometry, features, and orientation in vertebrate animals: A pictorial review. In M.F. Brown & R.G. Cook (Eds.), Animal Spatial Cognition: Comparative, Neural & Computational Approaches. In cooperation with Comparative Cognition Press.
• Huttenlocher, J., Duffy, S., & Levine, S. (2002). Infants and toddlers discriminate amount: Are they measuring? Psychological Science, 13, 244-249.
• Jacobs, L., & Schenk, F. (2003). Unpacking the cognitive map: The parallel map theory of hippocampal function. Psychological Review, 110, 285-315.
• Rochat, P., & Hespos, S.J. (1996). Tracking and anticipation of invisible spatial transformation by 4-8-month-old infants, Cognitive Development, 11, 3-17.
• Scholl, B.J., & Pylyshyn, Z.W. (1999). Tracking multiple items though occlusion: Clues to visual objecthood. Cognitive Psychology, 38, 259-290.
• Shepard, R. N., & Metzler, J. (1971). Mental rotation of three-dimensional objects. Science, 171, 701-703.
• Smith, M., Piburn, M. & Reynolds,S.(1999). Research for Earth Science Learning. Geotimes, 44,27, 35.
• Wang, R. F., & Spelke, E. (2002). Human spatial representation: Insights from animals. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 6, 376-382.