How come children have trouble with left/right, but not above/below, in front/behind?
Asked by
Vincentt (
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October 17th, 2007
Interesting question some just asked me… When you’re young, you have trouble telling which side is right and which is left, but saying what is above and what is below is no problem… How come?
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Oh, and what tags should I have applied to this question? ;-)
I would guess same as why looking at your reflection in the mirror, you have trouble with left and right—there really isn’t that much of a difference between L & R, since we’re symmetrical.
Tags, I would have gone for “child development”, left, right, and symmetry
Most communication and identification regarding position (left/right, above/below, etc) takes place between two people who are facing each other or between a person and an object or location they are facing. In those situations there is only one above or below, common to both or the observed/observer, but there are two lefts and two rights depending upon whose left or right is being referenced. Also, gravity clarifies up and down.
I have trouble with remembering left from right, but my sons and grandsons seems to catch on at the same time they learned in, out, up, down, over and under.
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