Encoding direction when interpreting proximal terms

Abstract

The location of an object is often described by spatially relating it to a known landmark. The spatial terms used in such descriptions can provide various types of information. For example, projective terms such as above indicate direction but not distance, whereas proximal terms such as near indicate distance but not direction. Previous research has demonstrated that information not explicitly specified by projective prepositions (i.e., distance) is also encoded during the interpretation of these terms. Using a sentence-picture verification task, we examined whether direction is similarly encoded during the apprehension of proximal terms, examining both spatial prepositions (e.g., near) and motion verbs (e.g., approach). Results suggest that interpreting proximal terms involves encoding direction when such information facilitates locating the target.