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Abstract
We review evidence for two distinct cognitive processes by which humans and animals represent the navigable environment. One process uses the shape of the extended 3D surface layout to specify the navigator’s position and orientation. A second process uses objects and patterns as beacons to specify the locations of significant objects. Although much of the evidence for these processes comes from neurophysiological studies of navigating animals and neuroimaging studies of human adults, behavioral studies of navigating children shed light both on the nature of these systems and on their interactions.
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In a similar test with toddlers, Nardini et al. (2008) found success with two white walls and two blue walls, both plain and patterned. Lourenco et al. (2009), on the other hand, replicated their failure of alternating features using red or blue patterns, rather than solid walls. Because of these conflicting results, children’s ability to use of color cues for reorientation remains unclear.
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Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland St., 11th Floor, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
Sang Ah Lee & Elizabeth S. Spelke
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Lee, S.A., Spelke, E.S. Two systems of spatial representation underlying navigation.Exp Brain Res206, 179–188 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-010-2349-5
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