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Forming mental models with spatial simulations influences liking. Easier-to-process elements within these models are preferred, demonstrating a link between cognitive fluency and positive affect.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Abstract reasoning often relies on mental models that simulate spatial relationships.
  • These models represent elements along ordered dimensions, influencing how individuals process information.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether the process of forming and using spatial mental models affects the liking of their elements.
  • To explore the role of processing fluency, specifically the Symbolic Distance Effect, in this phenomenon.

Main Methods:

  • Participants processed unfamiliar ideographs and non-words arranged in linear-transitive arrays.
  • The study manipulated the distance between elements within these arrays to vary processing fluency.
  • Multiple experiments tested the effect, including ruling out alternative explanations and replicating findings.

Main Results:

  • Elements that were easier to process due to larger distances in the mental model were liked more.
  • This effect, termed the "Symbolic Distance Effect" (SDE), suggests processing fluency has a positive hedonic impact.
  • The spatial effect emerged spontaneously after learning, even without explicit fluency tasks.

Conclusions:

  • The ease of processing elements within spatial mental models directly influences their affective evaluation.
  • Cognitive fluency derived from spatial simulations can lead to increased liking of abstract elements.
  • Findings have implications for understanding how abstract reasoning and affect are intertwined.