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Space as a basis for reasoning
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Gattis, Merideth |
| Copyright Year | 2001 |
| Abstract | We use space as a basis for reasoning whenever we use a spatial representation of a nonspatial concept to make decisions or inferences. From a psychological perspective, our tendency to create and reason fluidly from spatial models is somewhat surprising, because using a spatial model to reason involves creating correspondences between two semantically unrelated concepts: space, and something that isn’t space, whether that be time, performance, or the desirability of a new job. Our proficiency in using space as a basis for reasoning relies our abilities to detect similarities in the structures of very different concepts. In this paper I discuss two types of similarities between space and nonspatial concepts and describe how those similarities influence reasoning from spatial representations. 1. Using Space to Reason We use space as a basis for reasoning whenever we create a spatial representation of a nonspatial concept and use that representation to make decisions or inferences (Gattis, 2001a; Gattis and Holyoak, 1996). We use calendars to decide what day would be best to schedule an out-of-town seminar, graphs to decide whether an experimental manipulation is having the hoped-for effect, and lists of pros and cons to decide whether to stay or go. Likewise, we sometimes create spatial models that don’t exist on paper. When adults are asked to reason about the relative value of different people, such as “Mantle is better than Mays. Mays is better than Moskowitz. Is Mantle better than Moskowitz?”, they report creating a spatial ordering of the names (De Soto, London, and Handel, 1965; Gattis and Dupeyrat, 2000). Our gestures also reveal mental models based on space: when people discuss the relative merits of two options in a relationship or a career, their gestures create two contrasting spaces on each side of the body, and once those spaces are established, a particular |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://papers.cumincad.org/data/works/att/3847.content.09817.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
