8 Nov
2012
8 Nov
'12
3:03 p.m.
PLEASE NOTE: Our seminar room has a limited capacity. Please arrive early to ensure you
get a seat. The talk will begin promptly at 5.
The next talk in the CDC Seminar series will be given by:
Veronique Izard, Université Paris Descartes
Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 5 PM
Location: Cognitive Development Center, Hattyú u. 14, 3rd floor
Title: Geometry as a universal mental construction
Abstract: Geometry, etymologically the “science of measuring the Earth”, is a mathematical
formalization of space. Just as formal concepts of number may be rooted in an evolutionary
ancient system for perceiving numerical quantity, the fathers of geometry may have been
inspired by their perception of space. Is the spatial content of formal Euclidean geometry
universally present in the way humans perceive space, or is Euclidean geometry a mental
construction, specific to those who have received appropriate instruction? The spatial
content of the formal theories of geometry may depart from spatial perception for two
reasons: first, because in geometry, only some of the features of spatial figures are
theoretically relevant; and second, because some geometric concepts go beyond any possible
perceptual experience. Focusing in turn on these two aspects of geometry, I will present
several lines of research on U.S. adults and children from the age of 3, and participants
from an Amazonian culture, the Mundurucu. Almost all the aspects of geometry tested proved
to be shared between these two cultures. Nevertheless, some aspects involve a process of
mental construction where explicit instruction seems to play a role in the U.S., but that
can still take place in the absence of instruction in geometry.
Cognitive Science Events at CEU: http://cognitivescience.ceu.hu/events
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