title: Impact of vision on the development of topographical orientation abilities.
abstract: The current experiment examined the importance of visual input on the construction of inner spatial representations. Early and late-onset blind and paired control participants performed a tactile spatial orientation task. No significant group differences were observed, indicating that the blind can represent space. More errors, however, were committed by the early blind than by the late blind and sighted individuals in portions of the task that involved mental rotation skills, suggesting a potential facilitating role for vision in the proper development of spatial constructs.
authors.affiliation: Research Center in Neuropsychology and Cognition (CERNEC), University of Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Madeleine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fortin
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Voss
authors.forename: Constant
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rainville
authors.forename: Maryse
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lassonde
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lepore
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001766:Blindness / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000254:growth & development*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000254:growth & development*