Leplow Bernd, Lehnung Maria, Pohl Johannes, Herzog Arne, Ferstl Roman, Mehdorn Maximilian
Department of Psychology, Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg, Brandbergweg 23, D-06120 Halle, Germany.
Br J Psychol. 2003 Aug;94(Pt 3):299-317. doi: 10.1348/000712603767876244.
Spatial behaviour was investigated using a spatial learning task based on the Radial Arm Maze, the Morris Water Maze, and open-field search-task procedures. Ninety-six healthy children from six age groups (3, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 12 years) with no history of CNS disorders were studied with respect to the emergence of position-, cue- and place responses. Participants were to detect x out of n hidden locations, frames of reference could be varied systematically, and three spatial memory errors and speed of navigation were recorded automatically. Task difficulties were equivalent for each age group. Results showed that navigational place learning was fully developed by the age of 10, whereas participants relied on cue orientation up to age 7. Even in the youngest group, the task could be achieved without relying on egocentric orientation, provided that proximal cues were presented. Most of the errors were of the reference memory type, whereas working memory errors were extremely rare. Speed of navigation markedly improved between age 5 and 7. An additional experiment showed that navigational place-learning behaviour was clearly dependent on distal cues. A third study showed that in young adults, learning of the spatial layout improved, but performance on the place task did not improve any further. No sex differences were observed.
使用基于放射状臂迷宫、莫里斯水迷宫和旷场搜索任务程序的空间学习任务来研究空间行为。对来自六个年龄组（3岁、4岁、5岁、7岁、10岁和12岁）且无中枢神经系统疾病史的96名健康儿童进行了位置、线索和地点反应出现情况的研究。参与者要在n个隐藏位置中找出x个，参照系可以系统地变化，并自动记录三种空间记忆错误和导航速度。每个年龄组的任务难度相当。结果表明，到10岁时导航地点学习已完全发展，而参与者在7岁之前依赖线索定向。即使在最年幼的组中，如果呈现近端线索，也可以不依赖自我中心定向完成任务。大多数错误属于参照记忆类型，而工作记忆错误极为罕见。5岁到7岁之间导航速度明显提高。另一项实验表明，导航地点学习行为明显依赖远端线索。第三项研究表明，在年轻成年人中，空间布局的学习有所改善，但地点任务的表现没有进一步提高。未观察到性别差异。
