A Cross-Cultural Study of Young Children's Mapping Abilities |
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| Authors: | Mark Blades J M Blaut Zhra Darvizeh Silvia Elguea Steve Sowden Dhiru Soni Christopher Spencer David Stea Roy Surajpaul David Uttal |
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| Institution: | Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK;Department of Geography, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60607–7138, USA Corresponding author;Department of Psychology, Al-Zahra University, Vanak, Tehran, Iran;Department of Humanities, Universidad Auto'noma Metropolitana, Mexico City, D, Mexico;Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK;Department of Geography, University of Durban-Westville, Durban 4000, South Africa;Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK;Department of Geography and Planning, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA;Department of Geography, University of Durban-Westville, Durban 4000, South Africa;Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208–2710, USA e-mail: |
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| Abstract: | The mapping abilities of four-year-old children in York, England, Durban, South Africa, Tehran, Iran, Mexico City, Mexico and Evanston, Illinois, USA were investigated, using a methodology involving air-photo identification and simulated navigation on an air photo. The results show that essential mapping abilities (perspective and scale transformations) are well developed by the age of four in these cultures, and provide some evidence in support of the hypothesis that mapping abilities emerge without training in very young children of all cultures. |
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| Keywords: | mapping abilities of preschoolers cognitive development cross-cultural environmental psychology |
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