Visual-spatial processing in young children: Mathematical models, cognitive correlates, and cross-disciplinary implications

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This research is an example of how applied mathematics research can be used to inform cross-disciplinary issues related to visual-spatial processing. While much research has been conducted on the ways in which numeracy and arithmetic (particularly counting) develops in young children, comparatively less experimental research has been conducted on visual-spatial processing (or geometric reasoning) and the related mathematical models. Yet, visual-spatial reasoning has been linked to many areas of intense interest such as technology, medicine (i.e., cytology, movement disorders, digital medical interventions), and urban planning, to name a few. Previous research has shown that visual-spatial processing in young children has implications in the areas of, but not limited to, working memory , reading (e.g., dyslexia), executive function (e.g., attention), and learning (e.g., differentiating instruction for visual-spatial learners, learning disabilities). Motivated by this gap in understanding and research in visual-spatial processing, this program of research investigates experimentally the development of visual-spatial processing in children ages 12 to 60 months old. The broad research questions guiding this research program are: (1) Given a set of visual-spatial tasks (or geometric structures), how does visual-spatial processing develop in young children from 12 months to 72 months? (2) What associated cognitive processes are involved in the development of visual-spatial processing in children 12 months to 60 months of age? (3) What mathematical models explain this phenomenon, (4) How can these models inform research in the biological sciences and computer engineering related to visual-spatial perception? This applied mathematics research is fundamentally interdisciplinary drawing on mathematics, cognitive science, psychology, health sciences, and education. Future directions in this research program include plans for cross-collaborations with geneticist and neuroscientists.