The Development of Spatial Frames of Reference: The Emergence of a Cultural Preference

On the basis of universal aptitudes, how does one acquire cultural preference within a specific spatial frame of reference? To answer this question, we will use the 180° rotation paradigm (Levinson, 2003) with French subjects of various ages and culture (6-7 year-olds, 10-11 year-olds, 21-22 year-olds). To assess the hypothesis of the effects of language on spatial cognition, we tested how instructions of an experiment were induced. Results show similar behavior in conditions where there is no induction and where there is “self-centered” induction. Once the subjects are of school age, they meet French cultural spatial standards. When induction conditions are “environment-centered”, the frequency of self-centered answers are lesser and shape a “U” curve. These results compare with those of the Karmiloff-Smith Representational Redescription model (1992).