Different reference frames on different axes: Space and language in indigenous Amazonians
Name
sciadv.abp9814.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
778.87 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
999ae3506a003e7973fedca85d244770
Author(s)
Pitt, Benjamin
Carstensen, Alexandra
Boni, Isabelle
Piantadosi, Steven T
Gibson, Edward
Date Issued
November 25, 2022
Journal
Science Advances
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Citation
Pitt, Benjamin, Carstensen, Alexandra, Boni, Isabelle, Piantadosi, Steven T and Gibson, Edward. 2022. "Different reference frames on different axes: Space and language in indigenous Amazonians." Science Advances, 8 (47).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Spatial cognition is central to human behavior, but the way people conceptualize space varies within and across groups for unknown reasons. Here, we found that adults from an indigenous Bolivian group used systematically different spatial reference frames on different axes, according to known differences in their discriminability: In both verbal and nonverbal tests, participants preferred allocentric (i.e., environment-based) space on the left-right axis, where spatial discriminations (like “b” versus “d”) are notoriously difficult, but the same participants preferred egocentric (i.e., body-based) space on the front-back axis, where spatial discrimination is relatively easy. The results (i) establish a relationship between spontaneous spatial language and memory across axes within a single culture, (ii) challenge the claim that each language group has a predominant spatial reference frame at a given scale, and (iii) suggest that spatial thinking and language may both be shaped by spatial discrimination abilities, as they vary across cultures and contexts.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abp9814
