Core Knowledge of Geometry in an Amazonian Indigene Group.
Dehaene, Stanislas 1,2*; Izard, Veronique 1; Pica, Pierre 3; Spelke, Elizabeth 4
[Report] Science. 311(5759):381-384, January 20, 2006.

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Does geometry constitute a core set of intuitions present in all humans, regardless of their language or schooling? We used two nonverbal tests to probe the conceptual primitives of geometry in the Munduruku, an isolated Amazonian indigene group. Munduruku children and adults spontaneously made use of basic geometric concepts such as points, lines, parallelism, or right angles to detect intruders in simple pictures, and they used distance, angle, and sense relationships in geometrical maps to locate hidden objects. Our results provide evidence for geometrical intuitions in the absence of schooling, experience with graphic symbols or maps, or a rich language of geometrical terms.

Copyright (C) 2006 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science