Objective In everyday life we navigate through known and unknown spatial environments. We have to learn how to find our way back, make a detour around a barrier or find a shortcut. The ability to remember the spatial surroundings and to communicate about space has been crucial to human adaptation and survival. The proposed research project investigates the development of spatial skills, the underlying neural correlates of spatial representations and spatial wayfinding mechanisms, spatial language and their linkage. Recent comparative studies have shown that human infants early in their cognitive development share a spatial memory strategy with all non-human great apes. This strategy preference for spatial cues in young human infants changes during the first years in childhood into a preference for a feature based strategy. Recent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies have shown the enormous importance of spatial cues for successful wayfinding. I will push forward these findings and investigate how spatial cues are learned and represented during child and adulthood and later used for actual navigation. The role of language for spatial strategies to date is entirely unknown. Language could play a key role in spatial strategy switch during childhood as well as affect wayfinding strategies for children and adults. The combination of different methods, FMRI, EEG, measurement of eye-movements, response times as well as navigational behaviour collected during initial and repeated spatial cue learning and wayfinding will provide answers to these questions. In sum, the proposed research provides new insight into the nature of human spatial thinking for children and adults. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologymammalogyprimatologyengineering and technologymedical engineeringdiagnostic imagingmagnetic resonance imaging Keywords EEG development fMRI spatial language spatial memory Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) ERC-SG-SH3 - ERC Starting Grant - Environment and society Call for proposal ERC-2007-StG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-SG - ERC Starting Grant Coordinator STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITEIT EU contribution € 873 476,00 Address Houtlaan 4 6525 XZ Nijmegen Netherlands See on map Region Oost-Nederland Gelderland Arnhem/Nijmegen Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Principal investigator Gabriele Janzen (Dr.) Administrative Contact Albert Kruis, Van Der (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITEIT Netherlands EU contribution € 873 476,00 Address Houtlaan 4 6525 XZ Nijmegen See on map Region Oost-Nederland Gelderland Arnhem/Nijmegen Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Principal investigator Gabriele Janzen (Dr.) Administrative Contact Albert Kruis, Van Der (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data