ABSTRACT
A strong resurgence of interest in the development of spatial representation occurred in the decade of the 1970s. The result has been a multitude of studies focusing on a great range of topics, from search strategies to map reading to memory for spatial layout. Up until 1977, however, these studies were almost exclusively devoted to the study of the strides made during the preoperational and concrete operational stages of development, i.e., the years 3 to 11. Since then, the search for early foundations of spatial representations during infancy has grabbed the attention and enthusiasm of a growing number of researchers. As a consequence, there are already nearly two dozen studies devoted to spatial development during the first 2 years of life. What I propose to do in the present chapter is to organize this burgeoning literature into a cohesive framework, to evaluate the contributions made, and to sketch a portrait of the child’s spatial abilities during each phase of this early period of development.
