Core knowledge of geometry in an Amazonian indigene group.
Does geometry constitute a core set of intuitions present in all humans, regardless of their language or schooling? We used two nonverbal tests to probe the conceptual primitives of geometry in the Mundurukú, an isolated Amazonian indigene group. Mundurukú children and adults spontaneously made use of basic geometric concepts such as points, lines, parallelism, or right angles to detect intruders in simple pictures, and they used distance, angle, and sense relationships in geometrical maps to locate hidden objects. Our results provide evidence for geometrical intuitions in the absence of schooling, experience with graphic symbols or maps, or a rich language of geometrical terms.
Dehaene
Stanislas
S
INSERM-CEA Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, 91401 Orsay Cedex, France. dehaene@shfj.cea.fr
Izard
Véronique
V
Pica
Pierre
P
Spelke
Elizabeth
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American / Q000523:psychology*; D019359:Knowledge; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008377:Maps as Topic; D008433:Mathematics; D008875:Middle Aged