Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026
05:15
The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
Published on: February 19, 2018
Spatial language facilitates spatial cognition: evidence from children who lack language input
Dedre Gentner1, Asli Ozyürek, Ozge Gürcanli
1Northwestern University, Department of Psychology, 2029 Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60208, United States. gentner@northwestern.edu
Cognition
|April 2, 2013
Summary
Spatial language significantly impacts spatial cognition. Children lacking conventional language, including homesigners, demonstrated poorer performance on nonlinguistic spatial tasks, highlighting language
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Investigates the relationship between language acquisition and cognitive development.
- Examines how the absence of conventional language affects spatial reasoning abilities.
- Focuses on deaf children in Istanbul who developed homesign in the absence of formal sign language.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if spatial language influences the ability to think about and process spatial information.
- To assess the spatial cognition of children who use homesign, a gestural communication system.
- To compare the spatial task performance of homesigners with that of hearing children.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: Observed homesigners to assess the use of gesture for conveying spatial relations.
- Study 2: Administered a nonlinguistic Spatial Mapping Task to homesigners and hearing children.
- Cognitive tasks were used to match deaf and hearing children on general cognitive abilities.
Main Results:
- Homesigners did not use gestures to represent spatial relations in Study 1.
- Homesigners performed significantly worse on the Spatial Mapping Task compared to hearing children in Study 2.
- Performance on spatial tasks correlated with the absence of spatial language.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest a strong link between the presence of spatial language and the development of spatial thinking.
- The absence of conventional spatial language is associated with deficits in nonlinguistic spatial cognition.
- Spatial language plays a crucial role in shaping how individuals conceptualize and reason about space.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:27Language and Cognition
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
01:10Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
01:22Language Development
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
01:28Lateralization
Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.
01:25Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities are cognitive disorders caused by neurological impairments that affect cognitive functions like language and reading, without indicating overall intellectual or developmental challenges. These disabilities differ from global intellectual or developmental disabilities as they are limited to distinct cognitive functions. Common learning disabilities include dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, each of which impacts unique aspects of learning.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...
01:21The Nativist Approach
The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to exist...