Developmental profiles for multiple object tracking and spatial memory: typically developing preschoolers and people
Kirsten O'Hearn1, James E Hoffman1, Barbara Landau1
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, USA Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA.
Developmental Science
|May 7, 2010
Summary
Multiple object tracking (MOT) and spatial memory develop together in children but not in individuals with Williams syndrome (WS). This suggests atypical parietal lobe development in WS disrupts object tracking more than spatial memory.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Background:
- Object tracking is vital for spatial tasks and may involve specialized infant mechanisms.
- Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic disorder causing significant visuo-spatial deficits.
- Previous research indicated object tracking is disproportionately impaired in WS compared to spatial memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the impaired object tracking in WS reflects general immaturity or true developmental abnormality.
- To compare the developmental trajectories of multiple object tracking (MOT) and static spatial memory in typically developing children and individuals with WS.
Main Methods:
- Tested typically developing 3- and 4-year-olds and individuals with WS on MOT and static spatial memory tasks.
- Quantified performance using the k-statistic to estimate the maximum number of objects tracked or remembered.
- Compared developmental profiles across age groups and between tasks.
Main Results:
- Typically developing children showed parallel increases in MOT and spatial memory from ages 3 to 6.
- Individuals with WS demonstrated object tracking abilities comparable to 4-year-olds but superior static spatial memory compared to both 3- and 4-year-olds.
- The parallel development of MOT and spatial memory observed in typical development was absent in WS.
Conclusions:
- Multiple object tracking and static spatial memory develop in tandem in typically developing individuals.
- This parallel development is disrupted in Williams syndrome, indicating an abnormal, uneven performance pattern.
- Atypical parietal lobe development in WS may underlie the specific deficit in multiple object tracking, suggesting distinct neural mechanisms for the two tasks.
