Live Poster Session: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/93621248579
Abstract: Williams Syndrome (WS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder resulting in a unique profile of cognitive abilities, in which spatial cognition is impaired while language and communication remain intact. The present study examines WS patients’ sensitivity to core features of Euclidean geometry through a map-reading task. Participants were presented with 4 maps including either: distance, angle, surface length, or a non-geometric landmark cue. After viewing the map, participants were asked to use the symbolic information presented to identify a goal location. In the Landmark condition, WS participants performed at the same level as typically developing (TD) participants, which broadly indicates that this population can understand the symbolic representations used in maps. In each of the geometric conditions, the WS participants performed significantly above chance, but significantly below the TD controls. Both WS and TD participants performed worse when asked to use the spatial information presented in the map as a relational cue compared to a direct cue. There was no effect of sex within the TD sample; however, there was an effect of sex in the WS sample, with males significantly outperforming females. The finding of a sex difference in spatial cognition in WS participants is novel and requires further research. While WS is known for profound deficits in spatial cognition, these results show substantial sparing of core representations of geometry, and vulnerability in more nuanced spatial abilities, such as relational knowledge.
Map-Use-in-WS-Poster