Development of Geocentric Spatial Language and Cognition: An Eco-cultural Perspective

✍ Scribed by Pierre R. Dasen, Ramesh C. Mishra

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 410
• Series: Cambridge Studies in Cognitive and Perceptual Development
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Egocentric spatial language uses coordinates in relation to our body to talk about small-scale space ('put the knife on the right of the plate and the fork on the left'), while geocentric spatial language uses geographic coordinates ('put the knife to the east, and the fork to the west'). How do children learn to use geocentric language? And why do geocentric spatial references sound strange in English when they are standard practice in other languages? This book studies child development in Bali, India, Nepal, and Switzerland and explores how children learn to use a geocentric frame both when speaking and performing non-verbal cognitive tasks (such as remembering locations and directions). The authors examine how these skills develop with age, look at the socio-cultural contexts in which the learning takes place, and explore the ecological, cultural, social, and linguistic conditions that favour the use of a geocentric frame of reference.

✦ Table of Contents

Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 4
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Figures......Page 9
Tables......Page 12
Preface......Page 16
Acknowledgements......Page 20
Part I Introduction and methods......Page 23
PdftkEmptyString......Page 0
2 Methods......Page 71
Pre-testing......Page 72
Testing situations......Page 73
Perspectives: description of table top display......Page 75
Road task......Page 76
Language in spatial encoding tasks......Page 78
Language coding scheme......Page 79
Animals in a Row......Page 81
The Chips task......Page 83
Steve’s Maze task......Page 84
Scoring the non-verbal spatial encoding tasks......Page 85
Knowledge of orientation system and egocentric references......Page 87
Horizontality......Page 88
Perspectives task......Page 89
Block Designs Test (BDT)......Page 90
Story-Pictorial Embedded Figures test (SPEFT)......Page 92
Data analysis......Page 95
3 Settings......Page 98
Bali......Page 99
Right and left......Page 105
Early socialization......Page 106
Bunutan, the location of the 1994 study in Bali......Page 107
Bali, main study......Page 108
Roopchandpur village......Page 109
Varanasi city......Page 111
Sanskrit schools......Page 113
Recent developments......Page 114
Spatial orientation and language in the city......Page 115
Panditpur......Page 117
Bhimeshwor municipality......Page 118
Education and health facilities......Page 119
Spatial language and orientation in Dolakha......Page 120
Schools in Kathmandu......Page 121
Spatial language and orientation in Kathmandu......Page 122
Geocentric reference in religious and cultural activities......Page 124
Geneva, Switzerland......Page 126
Part II Results......Page 129
Bali, 1994......Page 131
Flexibility in spatial encoding......Page 134
India and Nepal: first study (1999–2000)......Page 135
Language development......Page 139
Non-verbal encoding......Page 141
The influence of schooling......Page 143
Correlation between FoR in language and in cognition......Page 145
Results......Page 148
Language and cognitive development......Page 149
Background variables......Page 151
Summary of results......Page 152
Other developmental research carried out at the time or following our first study......Page 154
Perspectives for further research......Page 158
Issues of research emerging from our first study......Page 159
Part III Additional studies......Page 253
10 Spatial language addressed to children......Page 255
1) Orientation of toys......Page 256
Mothers’ spatial language in Roopchandpur......Page 257
Description of village sites and route to sites......Page 258
Mothers’ spatial language in Dolakha......Page 259
Mother–child comparison: Dolakha......Page 261
Discussion......Page 262
11 Geocentric gestures before language?......Page 264
Consistency between language and gestures......Page 266
Discussion......Page 267
Part 1: description of Perspectives when moving around a display......Page 270
Study 1......Page 272
Study 2......Page 273
Conclusions, part 1......Page 275
Part 2: organization schemes......Page 276
Method......Page 278
Stability of spatial schemes......Page 279
Relationships between schemes and other variables......Page 280
The QV, QH and QC sub-schemes......Page 281
Results in Kathmandu......Page 282
Results in Geneva......Page 284
Discussion......Page 285
Part 1: Spatial frames of reference and hemispheric dominance......Page 287
Samples......Page 290
Tasks and tests......Page 291
Results......Page 293
Discussion......Page 294
Part 2: Brain-damage study......Page 295
Subjects......Page 296
Test materials and procedure......Page 297
Results......Page 298
Discussion......Page 300
14 Geocentric dead reckoning......Page 303
Experimental studies of dead reckoning......Page 304
Geocentric dead reckoning......Page 306
Procedure......Page 308
Results and analysis......Page 309
Process......Page 310
Salience of directions in daily life......Page 311
Discussion......Page 312
Part IV Conclusions......Page 317
Geocentric FoR as a cognitive style......Page 319
Universality or cultural specificity?......Page 323
Linguistic relativism at the individual level......Page 324
Eco-cultural adaptation of geocentric orientation systems......Page 329
Urban/rural difference within the same language: Bali, India, Nepal......Page 330
Cultural belief systems......Page 331
Acculturation (bilingualism, SES and various socio-cultural factors)......Page 333
Links to the theoretical framework......Page 334
Reversal of stages vs. different eco-cultural pathways to human development......Page 335
Mothers’ spatial language use......Page 336
Effects of schooling......Page 337
Experiential process variables: independent mobility......Page 338
Dead reckoning: updating spatial orientation while blindfolded......Page 340
Spatial ability and Piagetian concept development......Page 341
Possible neurophysiological underpinnings......Page 342
Discussion......Page 343
1. Animals in a Row......Page 345
3. Steve’s Maze......Page 346
5. Perspectives (3 objects description)......Page 347
Perspectives: E......Page 357
Road: G......Page 358
Animals: E......Page 359
Newari monolingual examples......Page 361
Spatial language examples in Bali......Page 362
Balinese (a) and Bahasa Indonesian (b)......Page 363
Chips Task (explanations on items 4 and 5) Geocentric......Page 364
Perspectives Geocentric......Page 365
Road task......Page 366
Egocentric......Page 367
Cardinal directions taught in schools: Nepal and India......Page 368
Urdu school......Page 373
Bibliography......Page 377
Name index......Page 398
Subject Index......Page 403