A Language of Thought for the Mental Representation of Geometric Shapes
geometric shapes
Does geometry constitutes a core set of intuitions present in all humans, regardless of their language or schooling?
This study uses two nonverbal tests to probe the conceptual primitives of geometry in the Munduruku´, an isolated Amazonian indigenous 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. The results provide evidence for geometrical intuitions in the absence of schooling, experience with graphic symbols or maps, or a rich language of geometrical terms.