Spatial demonstratives and perceptual space: Describing and remembering object location

Coventry, Kenny R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2591-7723, Griffiths, Debra and Hamilton, Colin J. (2014) Spatial demonstratives and perceptual space: Describing and remembering object location. Cognitive Psychology, 69. pp. 46-70. ISSN 0010-0285

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Abstract

Spatial demonstratives - terms including this and that - are among the most common words across all languages. Yet, there are considerable differences between languages in how demonstratives carve up space and the object characteristics they can refer to, challenging the idea that the mapping between spatial demonstratives and the vision and action systems is universal. In seven experiments we show direct parallels between spatial demonstrative usage in English and (non-linguistic) memory for object location, indicating close connections between the language of space and non-linguistic spatial representation. Spatial demonstrative choice in English and immediate memory for object location are affected by a range of parameters - distance, ownership, visibility and familiarity - that are lexicalized in the demonstrative systems of some other languages. The results support a common set of constraints on language used to talk about space and on (non-linguistic) spatial representation itself. Differences in demonstrative systems across languages may emerge from basic distinctions in the representation and memory for object location. In turn, these distinctions offer a building block from which non-spatial uses of demonstratives can develop.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). You may distribute and copy the article, create extracts, abstracts, and other revised versions, adaptations or derivative works of or from an article (such as a translation), to include in a collective work (such as an anthology), to text or data mine the article, including for commercial purposes without permission from Elsevier. The original work must always be appropriately credited.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	spatial demonstratives,distance,lexical distinctions,vision and action,object knowledge
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Cognition, Action and Perception
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	17 May 2016 14:00
Last Modified:	18 Dec 2024 01:23
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/58788
DOI:	10.1016/j.cogpsych.2013.12.001

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