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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 5, 2026

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Spatial language and abstract concepts.

Daniel Casasanto¹, Roberto Bottini²

¹Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science

|August 26, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Spatial language and abstract concepts have varied relationships. Linguistic metaphors can reflect, change, or selectively map to mental metaphors, showing no single connection.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Psycholinguistics
Cognitive Linguistics

Background:

Abstract concepts are often described using spatial metaphors in language.
Theories suggest linguistic metaphors reflect underlying mental metaphors.
However, the precise relationship is complex and not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the multifaceted relationship between spatial language and abstract conceptualization.
To investigate how linguistic metaphors influence or merely reflect mental representations of abstract domains.
To determine the conditions under which linguistic and mental metaphors align.

Main Methods:

Review of theories on metaphorical mental representation.
Analysis of behavioral experiments examining language-thought interactions.
Examination of varying conceptualizations across different contexts and individuals.

Main Results:

Linguistic metaphors do not always directly reflect mental metaphors.
In some instances, linguistic metaphors can shape or alter mental metaphors.
The correspondence between spatial language and abstract concepts varies depending on context and individual differences.

Conclusions:

There is no singular relationship between spatial language and abstract concepts.
Understanding these relationships illuminates how environmental interactions shape cognition.
Further research is needed to delineate the conditions for metaphor correspondence.