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Title: Different reference frames on different axes: Space and language in indigenous Amazonians

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.

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Award ID(s):
2105434
NSF-PAR ID:
10486024
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Science Advances
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Science Advances
Volume:
8
Issue:
47
ISSN:
2375-2548
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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