Effects of Landmark Availability on Japanese Speakers' Preferences for Spatial Frames of Reference

Abstract

Using an appropriate spatial frame of reference (FoR) is crucial for solving spatial and communication problems. This study investigated the development of FoR preferences and the effects of landmark availability on these preferences. The participants were Japanese-speaking children (aged 4–6 years) and adults, who were instructed to remember a row of three animals presented on a table, move to another table behind them, and reconstruct the array. Landmark availability was manipulated by varying the distance between the two tables. The results revealed that both children and adults tended to use an egocentric FoR, which increased with age. The frequency of an allocentric FoR was greater in the short-distance condition, which had more available landmarks, than in the long-distance condition. Regarding children's FoR, the availability of landmarks should be considered, rather than adopting the stereotypical view that children prefer an FoR that corresponds to their language.