OUR ability to solve spatial tasks may be linked to our linguistic skills, say researchers who studied the effect of sign language on spatial cognition.
at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and colleagues studied two groups of deaf people who learned to communicate using Nicaraguan sign language. The first cohort learned a simple form that had few signs for spatial terms. The second learned an expanded version 10 years later at the same age, which included a variety of directional signs.
To test their spatial awareness, Pyers placed a cup in each corner of a room with three grey walls and one red. Individuals saw a token being placed under one of the cups before being blindfolded and disorientated. The blindfold was then removed and participants asked to find the token.
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The second cohort outperformed the first, with those who most consistently used spatial markers when signing the most successful at finding the hidden token (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, ).
This suggests that the acquisition of language can enhance spatial cognition, says Pyers.