Mental representations of spatial language

Previous studies have provided evidence of multi-level mental representations of language-conveyed spatial (scenic) information. However, the available evidence is largely inconclusive with regard to the structure of these mental representations. A laboratory experiment assesses computer-assisted problem-solving performance abilities when language-conveyed representations of spatial information are matched with the language perspective of the task and with individual cognitive skills. Our findings largely validate this paradigm of ‘‘cognitive fit’’ that has been applied in non-language computer display domains, and the results suggest language-fostered ‘‘perspective-bias’’ in the formation and use of mental representations of spatial (scenic) information. ( 1998 Acadamic Press