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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Developing spatial localization abilities and children's interpretation of where.

Elena Nicoladis¹, Edward H Cornell, Melissa Gates

¹University of Alberta, P-217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton AB T6G 2E9, Canada. elenan@ualberta.ca

Journal of Child Language

|April 18, 2008

Summary

Young children initially interpret "where" questions as referring to a route, not a specific location. As spatial reasoning develops, their understanding shifts towards absolute location, influenced by space size and elevation.

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Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Cognitive Science
Linguistics

Background:

Preschoolers' spatial reasoning undergoes significant developmental changes.
Understanding of spatial prepositions like 'where' is crucial for cognitive development.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether two-year-old children understand 'where' to mean route or absolute location.
To determine if space size or elevation influences children's interpretation of 'where' questions.

Main Methods:

Interviewed 48 children aged two to five years.
Assessed children's responses to 'where' questions about objects and rooms (same/different floors).
Analyzed pointing responses and use of spatial terms versus deictic terms.

Main Results:

All children could identify object locations.
Youngest children (two-year-olds) referred to routes for rooms, while older children indicated absolute locations.
With age, children increasingly used spatial location terms over deictic terms.

Conclusions:

Children's initial understanding of 'where' is context-dependent, varying with space size and elevation.
Developmental shifts in understanding 'where' reflect evolving non-verbal spatial cognition.