ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates alternative theoretical positions on spatial thinking and intelligence. The nativist perspective in spatial thinking embraces the notion of a genetic component to spatial development. Nativist theorists and researchers generally will argue the existence of innate factors which contribute to a particular intellectual ability. The interactionist approach in the development of spatial thinking introduced by Newcombe and Huttenlocher suggests that spatial thinking is a construct that is influenced by a nativist, developmentalist, and an environmental influence. While it may seem clear that the Nazca lines were created for religious rituals, many have a hard time giving up on the myth that the drawings can only been seen and constructed from above. The impressive geometry of these drawings earned them the name geoglyphs and the accuracy of drawings of organisms as biomorphs. The chapter provides unique perspectives on spatial thinking and how it may be seen from a transcultural perspective.
