Chapter Five - Spatial Agency Bias: Representing People in Space

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Abstract

In this chapter, we argue that the way we read and write exerts a pervasive, subtle, and generally unacknowledged influence on social cognition. We propose a theoretical model, the Spatial Agency Bias (SAB), according to which human agency is envisaged following the script direction that is prevalent in a given cultural context (for instance, left to right in English and right to left in Arabic or Hebrew). This bias is the joint function of two interrelated asymmetries, one deriving from script direction, the other from subject–object order. We report findings supporting the basic premises of the model and then discuss its pervasive role in intergroup relations and its practical applications in the areas of Website construction, advertisement, and, most importantly, stereotype change. We also address boundary conditions and moderators, with particular attention to construal level. We conclude the chapter with a discussion of the SAB within the larger embodied cognition approach.

Section snippets

Main Predictions of the SAB Model

The main predictions of the SAB model are that human action is preferentially envisaged in the direction in which one's native language is written and read and that this bias is the joint function of two processes, involving a visuo-motor and a linguistic component. We will discuss each of these propositions separately, including specific corollaries that follow from each.

Proposition I

According to the SAB model, motion and, by extension, human agency map onto the trajectory in which language is written and

Visual and Motor Underpinnings

We have previously defined the SAB as a specific use of space to convey dynamism, activity, and agency. While writing and reading, we constantly experience rightward (or, in other cultures, leftward) motion, and this direction then comes to represent action in general. We argue here that the relation between action and space is circular, with oriented motor actions feeding into a coherent spatial representation of agency, and the stimulation of the motor system in turn promoting the use of this

Linguistic Underpinnings

As proposed earlier, visuo-motor processes related to reading and writing are not the only mechanism underlying the spatial mapping of agency. Script direction by itself would not easily translate into an asymmetrical representation of agency if the agent were not generally mentioned before the patient in standard active sentences. In most languages, the sentence subject typically precedes the sentence object, reflecting the intuitive notion that the cause comes before the effect (Bettinsoli,

The Role of the SAB in Intergroup Relations

Having established the underlying mechanisms of the SAB, we will now examine its multiple roles in intergroup relations. We have shown that dynamic actions (such as aggressive acts) are perceived as stronger when evolving along the trajectory of one's native language and that agency, as an abstract concept, follows the same path. By extension, stereotypically agentic individuals and groups (such as males or young people) can be expected to occupy the left position in people's mental images,

Applications

The SAB finds concrete applications in a variety of realms, including marketing and advertisement, Website construction, and even stereotype maintenance and change. Any kind of communication involving images, be it commercial or social, necessarily requires decisions on spatial layouts, such as where to place and how to orient design elements. In an increasingly global market, such design decisions become even more challenging, given that spatial preferences vary across cultures as a function

Boundary Conditions and Moderators

Once established, the natural course of a phenomenon is to be screened for its boundary conditions. This is particularly true for a bias such as the SAB that is very subtle and necessarily malleable. Across our studies, we have noticed that the SAB is consistent but often of small size, and on some occasions failed to emerge. It is important to note, however, that it never reverses, meaning that the direction of the asymmetry is highly reliable, but not its strength. This is intuitively

Implications for Embodied Cognition

The SAB model is theoretically embedded in the field of embodied and situated cognition, a highly influential, yet controversial theoretical model. Our approach adds in a number of ways to the development of embodied cognition, as it offers solutions and alternative interpretations for a number of controversial issues.

Although the relation between cognitive processes and bodily states has been acknowledged by ancient philosophers such as Epicurus (between the fourth and the third century BC),

Conclusions

The present review of our work on the SAB shows a coherent picture across a wide range of experimental tasks. Across tasks, the culturally determined script trajectory is used to interpret agentic actions and traits, to categorize agentic individuals and groups, and to communicate dynamic properties of objects and human targets. However, not all tasks are equally reliable. In our experience, some tasks (e.g., free drawing of dynamic interactions) produce rather robust SAB effects that are

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