A perception-action approach to the early development of spatial cognition: The importance of active exploration

Abstract

The ecological approach to child development stresses exploration of the environment as a central mechanism that drives development of spatial cognition. Through active exploration of affordances, which are possibilities for action defined by the child’s (motor, cognitive and other) skills and the environment, children are thought to develop spatial skills over time. In the current paper, we review the state of the evidence for this theoretical mechanism with respect to the early development of spatial memory, spatial orientation, spatial process and spatial language in typically developing young children. We conclude that the knowledge base to date supports the notion that active exploration plays a key and specific role in spatial cognition. The evidence supports the idea that spatial cognition is grounded in daily physical interactions between children and their environment. We further discuss open questions and point directions for future research.