自上世纪70年代起，认知神经科学的实验研究发现，导航任务中的“位置表征”与“朝向表征”具有不同的神经表征机制：被特定地点所激活的“位置神经元”主要位于海马区域，而被特定朝向所激活的“朝向神经元”则主要位于海马旁回。先前研究集中于使用单细胞记录的技术考察这两种神经元的功能分化，但并未有研究针对位置表征与朝向表征的发展过程进行探讨。 本研究采用地图定向任务的范式，考察了儿童在利用地图完成自我定向任务时，对自我位置与自我朝向表征能力的发展过程，以及位置与朝向结合能力的发展。此外，在本研究中，加入了任务模式这一因素，进一步探讨不同任务模式对（地图—现实空间 vs. 现实空间—地图）儿童完成自我位置表征与自我朝向表征表现的影响。 22名4岁儿童，26名5岁儿童，以及23名6岁儿童参与系列研究，分别完成根据地图中的标记到现实空间中确定自身位置与朝向的任务，以及根据自身在现实空间中的位置与朝向在地图中确定位置与朝向的任务。结果发现：（1）位置表征能力与朝向表征能力存在发展顺序上的先后，4岁左右，儿童已经能够成功使用地图解决自我位置的表征任务了，但对朝向表征的解决能力则至少要5岁才可被获得；（2）任务模式对儿童完成自我定向任务产生的影响主要表现在4岁组，对于4岁组的儿童，从地图到现实空间的任务模式能帮助儿童更好地完成自我方位的表征任务。 27名平均月龄为68个月的儿童分别完成从地图到现实空间，以及从现实空间到地图的自我位置与朝向结合的表征任务。结果发现：（1）这些儿童都能较出色地完成位置与朝向结合的任务；（2）在位置与朝向结合的表征任务中，儿童更容易在朝向表征上犯错误；（3）位置与朝向之间的一致性关系能更有利于儿童完成自我定向任务，但这种促进作用仅表现在现实空间—地图的任务模式下。

Since 1970s, researchers of cognitive neuroscience had found that position representation and orientation representation in navigation tasks differed in the mechanisms of neural representation. Place cells in hippocampal were primarily firing location-specific, and head-direction cells in the postsubiculcum were fired orientation-specific. Previous studies used single cell recording technique to differentiate the function of these two kinds of cells. However, no researches had explored the developmental law of position and orientation representation. In this study, we use the mapping task to discuss the developmental law of position representation and orientation representation in 4-6 year-old children. Based with former researches, we also add task sequence (map-space, vs. space-map) as an important factor to explore whether different task sequence will influence children’s performance in self position representation and self orientation representation. 22 4-year-old, 26 5-year-old and 23 6-year-old children took part in these series studies. All of these children completed self-orientation tasks through two task sequences (map-space vs. space-map) by two different orientation tasks (position representation task vs. orientation representation task). The results below were found: (1)Self position representation and self orientation representation were differed in developmental sequence, 4-yeare-old children could successfully complete self position representation task but only children of 5 years old began to show the ability to complete self orientation representation task. (2) The task sequence from maps use to big space was more advantageous for children of 4-year-old to complete the tasks. 27 children (average month 68) participated in the study of the combination of self position and self orientation task also through the two task sequences. The results were as follows: (1) all of these children could complete this task perfectly. (2) More errors were made in self orientation representation. (3) A consistence in position and orientation would help children perform better only from big space use to map sequence.