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Effect of stimulus configuration on spatial judgments in search tasks
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|February 1, 1987
Summary
Young children (2-4 years) sometimes use themselves as a spatial reference point. This study found that the number of boxes, not their size or arrangement, influenced whether children used external objects or themselves for spatial coding.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Spatial Cognition
Background:
- Children aged 2-4 years often use the self as a spatial referent, despite developing the ability to use external objects.
- Previous research indicates that the array's nature influences spatial referent selection in young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how varying the number, size, and arrangement of boxes affects spatial referent use in children.
- To understand the developmental trajectory of spatial coding in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- A search task was employed with varying numbers, sizes, and arrangements of boxes.
- Children's spatial referent choices were analyzed based on the experimental setup.
Main Results:
- The number of boxes on the left and right sides of the array significantly influenced spatial referent use.
- Multiple boxes were associated with using external objects as spatial referents.
- A single box was associated with using the self as a spatial referent.
Conclusions:
- Young children's spatial coding is influenced by the proximity of objects.
- This tendency explains the shift between using external objects and the self as spatial referents based on environmental cues.