The effect of feedback on children's ability to show response and place learning (DATASET)

Abstract

From a developmental perspective, it has been reasoned that, over the course of development, children make differential use of available landmarks in the surroundings to orient in space. The present study examined whether children can learn to apply different spatial strategies, focusing on different landmark cues. Children aged 7 and 10 years were tested on an object-location memory task in which they learned a location relative to a local cue or to distal cues. Both age groups performed equally well on the local test condition. Children 7 years of age had difficulties with orientating relative to distal landmarks. However, when provided with feedback, performance increased significantly. Two explanations could account for the findings: a delayed maturation of the hippocampal function and/or experience with the use of distal landmarks for coding location.