Memory for Location: Changes over Learning and Development

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

Investigators

Abstract

Where are my keys? How do I get to your house? We've all experienced long and tedious searches for hard-to-find objects and places. These experiences underscore how important memory for location is for everyday functioning. So how do people remember where things are? Other research has shown that people recall several types of information when trying to locate a missing object (like their car keys). They might remember something rather general about the area containing the keys (on a cluttered kitchen table). They might also remember something more specific about exactly where the keys are on the table (close to the far edge). But how people actually combine more general information about areas or regions with more specific information about distance and direction is not well understood. Even less is known about developmental changes in how children use these two types of information to remember locations. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Jodie Plumert will conduct basic research to better understand developmental changes in how the mind combines information about the category to which a location belongs (e.g., area or region) with information about where the location is within the category (e.g., distance and direction) to arrive at estimates of location. Using techniques that make it easier or harder for children to remember metric and categorical information, Dr. Plumert will observe how children's reliance on these two types of information changes over development. This research will enhance our understanding of how children and adults solve the problem of remembering where things are, a skill fundamental to everyday functioning. More broadly, this research will inform the field of geographic education by providing new insights into how children combine information about geographic regions such as states with information about distance and direction within states to remember specific locations (e.g., state capitols). The research will also provide many opportunities to enhance graduate and undergraduate learning, develop new equipment and software, and disseminate research findings.