Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Natural and Artificial Concepts

Natural and Artificial Concepts

In psychology, concepts can be divided into two categories: natural and artificial. Natural concepts are formed through direct or indirect experiences. For example, consider the concept of snow. If you live in a place with regular snowfall, such as Essex Junction, Vermont, you know snow through direct experiences. You’ve seen it fall, touched it, shoveled it, and played in it. You recognize its texture, appearance, and even its smell. In contrast, if you live on an island like Saint Vincent in...

Geometry of Hyperbolas

Geometry of Hyperbolas

A hyperbola consists of all points where the absolute difference of distances to two fixed points, called foci, remains constant. The standard equation isEach branch extends infinitely and approaches two asymptotes, which guide the curve’s behavior. The parameters a and b define key features: a measures the distance from the center to each vertex along the transverse axis, while b influences the slopes of the asymptotes. The asymptotes have equationsA rectangle centered at the origin with...

Coordination Number and Geometry

Coordination Number and Geometry

For transition metal complexes, the coordination number determines the geometry around the central metal ion. Table 1 compares coordination numbers to molecular geometry. The most common structures of the complexes in coordination compounds are octahedral, tetrahedral, and square planar.

Curvature and Its Interpretation

Curvature and Its Interpretation

Curvature describes how rapidly a curve changes direction at a particular point. A curve with a small curvature bends gently, while a curve with a large curvature turns sharply. For a space curve, the position of a moving object can be described by a vector-valued function r(t), where t often represents time. The direction of motion is determined by the tangent vector, and the unit tangent vector is obtained by normalizing the derivative of the position vector.The unit tangent vector gives the...

Perpendicular-Axis Theorem

Perpendicular-Axis Theorem

The perpendicular-axis theorem states that the moment of inertia of a planar object about an axis perpendicular to its plane is equal to the sum of the moments of inertia about two mutually perpendicular concurrent axes lying in the plane of the body.
Consider a circular disc of mass M and radius R lying along an x-y plane. The origin lies at the center of the disc, and the z-axis is perpendicular to the disc's plane. All three axes coincide at the disc's center. The moment of inertia of this...

Vector Forms of Green’s Theorem

Vector Forms of Green’s Theorem

The study of fluid motion often involves understanding how local rotational behavior relates to global circulation. In the context of a pond with pollutants, direct measurement of water movement along an irregular shoreline can be impractical. Green’s Theorem in vector form provides an alternative by relating the circulation around a closed boundary to properties of the flow within the enclosed region.Measurements of water velocity at different points define a continuous vector field that...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Clinical Outcomes of Endovascular and Surgical Treatments for Renal Artery Aneurysm.

Annals of vascular surgery·2026

Same author

Exploring the Link Between Pharmacological Management of Orthostatic Hypotension and Cognitive Performance: A Scoping Review.

Drugs & aging·2026

Same author

Dissociating the Neural Representation of Scene Boundary and Extended Surfaces in Human Visual Scene Processing.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2026

Same author

ManyNumbers 3: A Multi-Lab Study of Demographic Correlates of Early Number Knowledge.

Developmental science·2026

Same author

Impact of Hemodialysis on the Natural Course of Patients with Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease: A Propensity Score-matched Analysis.

Annals of vascular surgery·2026

Same author

A Digital Tool for Assessing the Distinct Effects of Depression, Anxiety, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on Children's Emotional Cognitive Bias: Cross-Sectional Study.

Journal of medical Internet research·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

Beyond core knowledge: Natural geometry.

Elizabeth Spelke¹, Sang Ah Lee, Véronique Izard

¹Harvard University.

Cognitive Science

|July 14, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Human geometric intuition may stem from ancient cognitive systems for representing space and objects, not just innate ideas. These systems combine with symbolic thought to form Euclidean geometry.

More Related Videos

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

Generating Strictly Controlled Stimuli for Figure Recognition Experiments

Generating Strictly Controlled Stimuli for Figure Recognition Experiments

Published on: March 18, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

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

Generating Strictly Controlled Stimuli for Figure Recognition Experiments

Generating Strictly Controlled Stimuli for Figure Recognition Experiments

Published on: March 18, 2019

Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Evolutionary Psychology
Developmental Psychology

Background:

Philosophers and scientists have long debated the origins of human understanding of Euclidean geometry.
Traditional views propose innate concepts or general learning processes for geometric intuition.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore alternative origins of human geometric knowledge.
To investigate the role of evolutionarily ancient cognitive systems in geometry.

Main Methods:

Review of recent research in cognitive and developmental psychology, anthropology, animal cognition, and neuroscience.
Analysis of core cognitive systems for spatial representation.

Main Results:

Human geometry may derive from two distinct, ancient cognitive systems: one for large-scale layouts and one for small-scale objects.
These systems represent aspects of distance, angle, and direction, but not all Euclidean properties.
Euclidean geometry may be constructed by combining representations from these core systems with symbolic thought.

Conclusions:

Geometric knowledge is likely built upon foundational, evolutionarily conserved cognitive mechanisms.
Human symbolic systems play a crucial role in developing complex Euclidean geometry.