Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 25, 2025
05:15
The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
Published on: February 19, 2018
11.1K
Demonstratives in Spatial Language and Social Interaction: An Interdisciplinary Review
Holger Diessel1, Kenny R Coventry2
1Department of English, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany.
Frontiers in Psychology
|December 16, 2020
Summary
Demonstratives are key linguistic tools crucial for both spatial understanding and social interaction. This review synthesizes research, highlighting their foundational role in language and cognition across diverse fields.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Demonstratives are traditionally viewed as spatial deictics.
- Recent research questions the primacy of space in deixis.
- Focus is shifting towards social and interactive functions of demonstratives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review interdisciplinary research on demonstratives.
- To explore the role of demonstratives in language universals, evolution, acquisition, and multimodal communication.
- To synthesize findings on demonstratives in signed language, perception, interaction, spatial imagery, and discourse processing.
Main Methods:
- Literature review
- Interdisciplinary synthesis
- Analysis of research across linguistics, cognitive science, and psychology
Main Results:
- Demonstratives are central to language universals and evolution.
- They play significant roles in language acquisition and multimodal communication.
- Research spans signed languages, perception, interaction, spatial cognition, and discourse.
Conclusions:
- Demonstratives are foundational to both spatial and social aspects of language.
- They are a unique class of linguistic items with broad cognitive implications.
- Their function extends beyond spatial deixis to encompass complex social and interactive purposes.
Keywords:
deixisdemonstrativeembodied cognitionjoint attentionlanguage acquisitionlanguage universalsperipersonal action spacespatial cognitionMore Related Videos
07:18Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Gesture in Communication
Published on: January 26, 2024
1.1K
07:36Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
Published on: November 30, 2018
16.1K
Related Concept Videos
01:27Language and Cognition
568
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.
568
01:14Directional Terms
14.5K
Directional terms are essential for describing the relative locations of different body structures. For instance, an anatomist might describe one band of tissue as "inferior to" another, or a physician might describe a tumor as "superficial to" a deeper body structure. These terms often use comparative terms in pairs to trace out the relative locations of one body part to another or descriptions of body tissues like the deeper ones from superficially present with reference to...
14.5K
01:10Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
2.5K
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...
2.5K
01:24Components of Language
586
Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs.
586
01:28Channels of Non-Verbal Communication
153
Non-verbal communication plays a critical role in human interaction, influencing how individuals perceive emotions and psychological states. It operates through four primary channels: facial expressions, eye contact, body language, and touch. These non-verbal cues help convey meaning beyond spoken language and are often culturally influenced.Facial Expressions and Emotional RecognitionFacial expressions are among the most powerful and universal forms of non-verbal communication. Research has...
153
01:30Social Foundations of Self IV: Self in Digital Communication
84
Since the early 2000s, computer-mediated communication (CMC) has grown rapidly, playing a crucial role in self-development. A key distinction between CMC and real-life interactions is the lack of a physically present partner. This absence makes non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, and paralinguistic signals unavailable in CMC platforms like email, instant messaging, or social media. The lack of these cues can create ambiguity and complicate how feedback is interpreted.The...
84