ABSTRACT
A number of theories have been proposed and researched in the field of cognition to explain the development of human abilities such as spatial thinking. This chapter provides an overview of how each of these perspectives can often overlap in a real-world environment when we encode and make meaning of space. Perhaps the most extensive theoretical framework on the child's conception of space to date is that of the Genevan genetic epistemologist and psychologist, Jean Piaget. Topological space, according to Piaget, refers to the conception of space from birth to approximately six or seven years of age. Projective space, from the Piagetian perspective, refers to the child's conception of objects that are associated with their polygon equivalents. Euclidean space refers to a child's ability to represent objects in a way that closely conforms to their appearance. The Piagetian spatial thinking framework progresses from topological to projective space and from projective space to Euclidean relations.
