"Core Knowledge of geometry in an Amazonian Indigene Group"

Stanislas Dehaene (1, 2) , Veronique Izard (1) , Pierre Pica (3) , Elizabeth Spelke (4)

1 LCogn - Neuroimagerie cognitive
2 Collège de France - Chaire Psychologie cognitive expérimentale
3 SFL - Structures Formelles du Langage
4 Departement of Psychology

Does geometry constitues a core set of intuitions present in all humans, regarless of their language or schooling ? We used two non verbal tests to probe the conceptual primitives of geometry in the Munduruku, an isolated Amazonian indigene group. 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.

Keywords: connaissance noyau; mundurucu; géometrie

Domains: Psychology

Stanislas Dehaene, Veronique Izard, Pierre Pica, Elizabeth Spelke. "Core Knowledge of geometry in an Amazonian Indigene Group". Science, 2006, 311 (5759), pp.381-4. ⟨10.1126/science.1102085⟩. ⟨hal-00206261⟩