| Functional spatial representation comprises, minimally, the ability to represent the location of more than a single object, to represent the spatial relations between at least two objects, and the ability to retain a spatial representation over time. As such, functional spatial representation might be thought of as a spatial mental model. Two studies examined the development of functional spatial representation and examined whether it might be an instantiation of a general ability to construct and use mental models, one that arises sometime between 2 and 3 years of age. Study 1 examined the spatial ability children 30, 36 and 42 months of age by examining their search for objects hidden in a long rectangular sandbox. Results of Study 1 demonstrate a robust spatial representational ability. Children across all ages were equally successful in completing the search tasks, searching accurately (1) for a single object after a 2min delays (2) for 2 identical objects and (3) transposing a landmark-target relation in order to find a target hidden in a novel location.; Study 2 examined whether functional spatial representation is an instantiation of a domain-general symbolic ability to form mental models. Children completed the landmark transposition task, as well as a nonverbal calculation task. Results again demonstrated robust ability to form spatial representations across the ages studied, while significant differences in the ability to calculate emerged. These findings suggest that representational abilities in the spatial domain may be developmentally prior to those involved in early calculation. |
