Development of mental transformation abilities

Andrea Frick; Wenke Möhring; Nora S Newcombe

doi:10.1016/j.tics.2014.05.011

Development of mental transformation abilities

Trends Cogn Sci. 2014 Oct;18(10):536-42. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2014.05.011. Epub 2014 Jun 24.

Authors

Andrea Frick¹, Wenke Möhring², Nora S Newcombe²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Fabrikstraße 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: depsy@gmx.net.
² Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall 318, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122-6085, USA.

PMID: 24973167
DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2014.05.011

Abstract

Mental representation and transformation of spatial information is often examined with mental rotation (MR) tasks, which require deciding whether a rotated image is the same as or the mirror version of an upright image. Recent research with infants shows early discrimination of objects from mirror-image versions. However, even at the age of 4 years, many children perform at near chance level on more standard measures. Similar age discrepancies can be observed in other domains, including perspective taking, theory of mind, and intuitive physics. These paradoxical results raise the questions of how performance relates to competence and how to conceptualize developmental change. There may be a common underlying mechanism: the development of the ability to imagine things and mentally transform them in a prospective fashion.

Keywords: cognitive development; intuitive physics; mental rotation; perspective taking; simulation; theory of mind.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Child
Child Development*
Cognition / physiology*
Humans
Imagination / physiology*
Infant
Mental Processes / physiology*