Transitive inferences by young children about spatial position

Abstract

This study investigates the ability of young children to make transitive inferences about spatial position. Our aim was to discover whether they could work out that A must be in a higher position than C, if A is above B and B above C. Our technique was to show children three or more ‘premise’ towers, each consisting of two bricks of different colours and to ask the children to build a larger tower which preserved the spatial relationships of the colours in the premise towers. So, if the child saw three premise towers, and in one red was above blue, in another blue above green and in the third green above yellow, s/he would have to build a red above blue above green above yellow tower. Before the child built the larger tower, we posed inferential questions about the relation of bricks in that tower: e.g. which would be in the higher position, red or green? We gave problems with three, four and five premise towers to 58 four‐year‐old children. They were able to make transitive inferences about spatial position with considerable success.

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