Symbolic Systems for Spatial Thinking

Throughout history, new ways of representing space (e.g., maps) led to changes in how people thought about their world (Hutchins, 1995; Liben et al., 2002; Olson & Bialystok, 1983; Turnbull, 1994; Uttal, 2000, in press; Wood, 1992). Spatial cognition is influenced by acquiring formal systems for representing space such as spatial language (e.g., Gentner & Loewenstein, 2002) and maps, graphs, diagrams (e.g., Novick, 2001; Stern et al., 2003) and by learning to use cultural tools such as rulers and compasses. Languages differ in how they carve up the world into spatial categories (e.g., Bowerman, 1996) and exposure to graphs and diagrams varies widely historically and culturally. A basic theme of SILC research will be to determine how external representations in language and in maps, diagrams, and other visualizations influence spatial representation and reasoning, as well as how they affect thinking that is not intrinsically spatial but that can be influenced by the use of such representations (e.g., Boroditsky, 2001; Gentner, Imai, & Boroditsky, 2002). Another important theme will be to investigate how best to use symbolic representations in education.

Points of Contact: David Uttal, Dedre Gentner

Relevant Background Publications

• Boroditsky, L. (2001). Does language shape thought? English and Mandarin speakers' conceptions of time. Cognitive Psychology, 43, 1-22.
• Bowerman, M. (1996). Learning how to structure space for language: A crosslinguistic perspective. In P. Bloom, M. Peterson, M. Garrett, and L. Nadel (Eds.), Language and space (pp. 385-436). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Gentner, D., & Loewenstein, J. (2002). Relational language and relational thought. In J. Byrnes & E. Amsel (Eds.), Language, literacy, and cognitive development, (pp. 87-120). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Gentner, D., Imai, M., & Boroditsky, L. (2002). As time goes by: Evidence for two systems in processing space-time metaphors. Language and Cognitive Processes, 17, 537-565.
• Hirsh-Pasek, K. & Golinkoff, R. (Eds.) (2006) Action meets word: How children learn verbs. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Hutchins, E. (1996). Cognition in the wild. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press/Bradford Books.
• Liben, L. S., Kastens, K. A., & Stevenson, L. M. (2002). Real-world knowledge through real world maps: A developmental guide for navigating the educational terrain. Developmental Review, 22, 267-322.
• Maguire, M., Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff, R. (2006) A unified theory of word learning: Putting verb acquisition in context. pp 364-392 In K. Hirsh-Pasek & R. Golinkoff, Action meets word: How children learn verbs. Oxford University Press.
• Novick, L. R. (2001). Spatial diagrams: Key instruments in the toolbox for thought. In D. L. Medin (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation: Advances in research and theory, Vol. 40 (pp. 279-325). San Diego, CA, US: Academic Press.
• Olson, D. R., & Bialystok, E. (1983). Spatial cognition: The structure and development of the mental representation of spatial relations. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Parish, J., Ma, W., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R.M. (in press) A world of relations: Relational words. In B. Malt & P. Wolf. Words and the world: How words capture the human experience. Oxford University Press.
• Pruden, S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. (in press) Current events: How infants parse events for language. In T. Shipley & J. Zachs (Eds.) Events. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Pulverman, R., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Pruden, S., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2006). Precursors to verb learning: Infant attention to manner and path. pp.134-160 In K. Hirsh-Pasek & R. M. Golinkoff (Eds.), Action meets word: How children learn verbs. New York: Oxford Press.
• Stern, E., Aprea, C., & Ebner, H. G. (2003). Improving cross-content transfer in text processing by means of active graphical representation. Learning and Instruction, 13, 191-203.
• Turnbull, D. (1994). Maps are territories, science is an atlas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Uttal, D. (2000). Seeing the big picture: Map use and the development of spatial cognition. Developmental Science, 3, 247-286.
• Uttal, D. H. (in press). Maps and spatial thinking: Developmental, cultural and historical perspectives. To appear in L. Namy (Ed.), Symbols and thought: Proceedings of the Emory cognition conference. Mahway, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Uttal, D. H., & Wellman, H. M. (1989). Young children's representation of spatial information acquired from maps. Developmental Psychology, 25, 128-138.
• Wood, D. (1992). The power of maps. New York: Guilford Press.