Connecting the dots: Children's use of a systematic figure to facilitate mapping and search

Organizing locations into a systematic figure was predicted to facilitate c hildren's use of spatial relations in a mapping task. In Study I, 3-, 4-, a nd 5-year-olds used a map to find a sticker hidden under 1 of 27 locations. The search locations formed a systematic figure, the outline of a dog. Hal f of the children were shown that the locations formed a dog. Seeing the do g pattern facilitated the performance of 5-year-olds but not that of the yo unger children. Study 2 indicated that children had to see a systematic fig ure to gain an advantage; adding lines to an unsystematic figure did not co nvey an advantage. Study 3 indicated that a verbal label alone could not co nvey an advantage. Study 4 revealed that seeing the dog pattern could also facilitate performance when the map was rotated relative to the represented space. The importance of organizing spatial information to facilitate rela tional thinking and mapping is discussed.