| Abstract: | Visual spatial memory was investigated in Australian Aboriginal children of desert origin. The investigation arose from an environmental pressures hypothesis relating particular skills to survival requirements in a particular habitat, and follows one of a series of suggestions made by R. B. Lockard (American Psychologist, 1971, 26, 168–179) for research in the related field of comparative psychology. Aboriginal children, from 6 to 17 years, performed at significantly higher levels than white Australian children on the tasks. Item type did not affect scores of Aboriginal children, while for white Australian children familiar items were easier than less familiar, which, if potentially nameable, were easier than items unable to be differentiated by name. These indications of strategy difference between the groups were supported by overt differences in task behavior. Aboriginal children appeared to use visual strategies, while most white Australian children probably attempted verbal strategies. Extent of traditional orientation of their group of origin had little effect on the scores of Aboriginal children, who were superior performers whether they came from traditional or nontraditional backgrounds. The likely effects of differential child-rearing practices and interactions between learning and natural endowment are discussed. |
