Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the role of visuo-spatial code in planning processes. Two groups of children participated in the study: 38 profound deaf children and 45 hearing children aged 8-14 years. Each child was asked to solve three different planning tasks: Tower of Hanoi, Maze Test and Errand Test. Data analysis showed differences between the groups. In particular deaf children displayed shorter execution time, shorter mean time of move, shorter pauses, higher "velocity" and "productivity" scores, and they completed a higher number of items compared to hearing children. These findings corresponded to groups' different planning processes: deaf children used anticipated planning, with a first construction of visual item map; whereas hearing children used on-line planning and they monitored the actions during path following.