Reconceptualizing perceptual development: The identification of some dimensions of spatial competence in young children

• Published in: Contemporary educational psychology 1984-01, Vol.9 (2), p.135-145
• Main Authors: Rosser, Rosemary A., Mazzeo, John, Horan, Patricia F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cognition. Intelligence; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Spatial perception. Time perception
• ISSN: 0361-476X; 1090-2384
• DOI: 10.1016/0361-476X(84)90015-8

In this examination of young children's acquisition of geometric skills, spatial performances were conceptualized as specific combinations of actions applied within stimulus contexts. Since both actions and context can vary, a number of different combinations can be specified. In this study, the relationships among eight such combinations were examined and predicted patterns compared with observed ones. Fifty-four 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children were presented with 24 geometric displays depicting a variety of geometric relations. Subjects were required to either match or recall the displays in both a reconstruction and a recognition task format thereby responding across different types of action demands. The geometric displays depicted information organized either around a single axis (horizontal or vertical) or around both axes, the variation in context. The results of a mixed design ANOVA revealed a good fit with the hypothesized predictions. The findings are discussed in terms of the development of spatial skills, information theory, and of skill generalization.