Detection of geometric, but not topological, spatial transformations in 6- to 12-month-old infants in a visual exploration paradigm.

Several theories of spatial orientation propose that the geometry of an environment plays a privileged role in reorientation, relative to relations between individual landmarks. Infants (N = 90) in three age groups (6, 8 1/2, and 12 months) experienced three conditions: topological, geometric, and control. A round room contained four distinctive objects in a rectangular arrangement on the inside periphery. Infants were familiarized to the array prior to a 2-min test period. In the topological condition, two objects were switched. In the geometric condition, the objects were moved to form an irregular quadrilateral. In the control condition, the array remained unchanged. Infants of 8 1/2 months and over visually explored significantly more in the geometric condition only. An initial study with adults found greater visual exploration in both geometric and topological conditions. These results are discussed in the context of current theories of spatial orientation.