The language of geometry: Fast comprehension of geometrical primitives and rules in human adults and preschoolers

MARIE AMALRIC; LIPING WANG; PIERRE PICA; SANTIAGO FIGUEIRA; MARIANO SIGMAN; STANISLAS DEHAENE

PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

Lugar: San Francisco; Año: 2017 vol. 13

1553-734X

During language processing, humans form complex embedded representations fromsequential inputs. Here, we ask whether a "geometrical language" with recursive embeddingalso underlies the human ability to encode sequences of spatial locations. We introduce anovel paradigm in which subjects are exposed to a sequence of spatial locations on an octagon,and are asked to predict future locations. The sequences vary in complexity accordingto a well-defined language comprising elementary primitives and recursive rules. A detailedanalysis of error patterns indicates that primitives of symmetry and rotation are spontaneouslydetected and used by adults, preschoolers, and adult members of an indigene groupin the Amazon, the Munduruku, who have a restricted numerical and geometrical lexiconand limited access to schooling. Furthermore, subjects readily combine these geometricalprimitives into hierarchically organized expressions. By evaluating a large set of such combinations,we obtained a first view of the language needed to account for the representation ofvisuospatial sequences in humans, and conclude that they encode visuospatial sequencesby minimizing the complexity of the structured expressions that capture them.