Dear Alan and Alain,
At first glance the research being done in the school of architecture in
Finland (which I first heard about last summer while in Norway) does indeed
sound like yet another attempt to test linguistic-relativism, that is, the
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, according to which the structure of any language
will influence in a profound way how the speakers of that language structure
their environment and world conceptions. From the initial outright disproval
of the theory (often by those who initially set out with a desire in their
hearts to find more proof for the theory, eg. Berlin and Kay, Rosche, etc.
stemming from some belief in cultural and ethical relativism), there has
been a gradual acceptance of a rather weak form of linguistic relativism (as
studied with much vigour by the linguistics department of the Max Planc
Institute in Holland headed by Stephen Levinson), according to which things
such as the existence of masculine/feminine/neuter forms aid word memory.
However, the research on conceptual relativism I mentioned happening in
Finland, if I understand correctly, distances itself from linguistic
relativism, because it goes for something more basic, claiming as you say
Alan that language is a filter, and thus derivative of something more
deeper. But instead of taking on Chomskian universal grammar, the research
begins by arguing that the basis for communication and language is
"imagery". The main protagonists in the research are Stephen Kosslyn (from
Harvard), a Norwegian professor emeritus of psychology called Frode Stromnes
and a Finnish Professsor of architecture called Jorma Manty (who has a
British assistant, whose name escapes me). But this is no attempt to defend
the Cartesian Theatre - images literally in the head! Stromnes has been
involved in research with this for some 15 years, and has shown that
speakers from different language groups conceptualise space in different
ways, or rather the ways they conceptualise the world can be described in
terms of different geometries. Indo-European languages were more or less
3-dimensional and vectoral, whilst non-Indo European languages such as
Finnish and Japanese were 2-dimensional with the added dimension of time, or
what he terms "bordered gestalts". Manty has been getting his younger
students, as well as un-suspecting visiting foreign students to make videos
of the same building (the control) and has attempted to show how the
geometries operate.
Tony Reagan
>From: [log in to unmask] (Alain Chiaradia)
>To: alan penn <[log in to unmask]>, Anthony Reagan <[log in to unmask]>
>CC: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: cognitive studies...
>Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1999 01:21:32 +0000
>
>You probably know all this not so old contreversy: from linguistic
>relativity, linguistic determinism state as consequence that speaker from
>different language must see the world differently. It spring from the work
>of Sapir-Whorf (comparing Hopi en English), and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
>claimed that structural differences encoded radically different world
>views. Chomsky was taking a different view with the linguistic universals
>sampling unrelated language and seek common properties. This is not to
>forget the difference/similarity between action and representation and
>their observation.
>
>At 12:21 08/11/99, alan penn wrote:
> >Tony,
> >
> >Ive passed this email on to Young Kim - you are right that UK
>universities
> >only print a couple of copies for the library, but the meat of the thesis
> >will be being published as journal articles in the near (hopefully)
>future.
> >
> >With regard Ruth's work I think it is probably a bit distant from the
> >relativist stance. Perhaps she would care to comment. However the
>research
> >you speak of intrigues me - is the suggestion that people from different
> >linguistic groups process spatial information differently? I must say
>this
> >sounds highly dubious to me - I would suspect that people from the
> >different groups might process/respond to the researcher's questions
> >differently even if they processed spatial information in exactly the
>same
> >way. Can you give me a reference to the work as I would really like to
>see
> >what methods and data they used and how they got around the language
>filter
> >problem in their work.
> >
> >Alan
> >
> >>A couple of questions and points regarding Alan Penn's comments.
> >>
> >>First, I would be most interested to read Yoiung Kim's thesis - as well
>as
> >>to pass a copy on to a friend in Finland who is interested in such
>things. I
> >>beleive that British universities do not follow the European practiuce
>of
> >>making 100 copies of PhD theses, available for distribution, etc. Is
> >>inter-library loan (or a trip to London), UMI dissertations (if
>available),
> >>or an appeal to the candidate himself the only way to get hold of the
> >>thesis?
> >>
> >>Ruth Conway's research is interesting for a friend of mine in Finland,
>who
> >>has taken up similar sounding notions within that most un--fashionable
>of
> >>empirical domains, namely cognitive relativism; the twist in the
>theoretical
> >>story, however, is not to beg the question of linguistic relativism
>(John
> >>Lucy, eg.) but to posit imagery as the domain of thought: his
>cross-cultural
> >>studies show, in my very general description of his conclusions, that
> >>Indo-European speakers prioritize vectoral movements and 3-dimensional
>while
> >>non-Indo-Es gestalt boundariness. But I may have misseed th epoint of
>both
> >>these theses. Any other cross-cultural research within the field?
> >>
> >>Tony Reagan
> >>Dublin/Boston
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>From: alan penn <[log in to unmask]>
> >>>Reply-To: alan penn <[log in to unmask]>
> >>>To: [log in to unmask]
> >>>Subject: Re: cognitive studies...
> >>>Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 12:44:02 +0100
> >>>
> >>>Mohamed Salheen wrote:
> >>>
> >>> >I am Mohamed Salheen PhD candidate in architecture at Edinburgh
>College
> >>>of
> >>> >Art. I am using Space Syntax in the analysis of my case study, which
>is
> >>> >Cairo-Egypt- and its city centre. I am using it together with other
> >>>research
> >>> >techniques in order an integrated understanding of the pedestrian
> >>> >environment in the case study.
> >>> >
> >>> >I would like first to ask if any one is interested in discussing the
> >>>details
> >>> >of that topic. Second I was looking for any information on previous
>and
> >>> >current studies linking both techniques space syntax and cognitive
> >>>mapping.
> >>> >I will appreciate very much any information you could give me.
> >>>
> >>>Some pointers. There are two recent PhD's at UCL that touch on this:
> >>>
> >>>Dongkuk Chang - 'Integrated multi level circulation systems in dense
>urban
> >>>areas: the effect of complex spatial designs on multi-level pedestrian
> >>>movement.' PhD Thesis, University of London, 1998
> >>>
> >>>This looks in particular at highly unintelligible (using the syntax
> >>>definition of the term) developments and uses these to try and
>disentangle
> >>>which factors other than simple configuration can be held to affect
> >>>pedestrian movement patterns. This does not make use of cognitive
>mapping,
> >>>but does shed light on spatial cognition. Parts of the study are
>published
> >>>in Chang & Penn, 'Integrated multi level circulation systems in dense
>urban
> >>>areas:the effect of mutiple interacting constraints on the use of
>complex
> >>>urban areas', Env & Planning B, 25, 507-538, Pion 1998.
> >>>
> >>>Young Kim - 'Spatial configuration, spatial cognition and spatial
> >>>behaviour: the role of architectual intelligibilty in shaping spatial
> >>>experience.' PhD Thesis, University of London, 1999
> >>>
> >>>This has put together analysis of spatial configuration, observations
>of
> >>>the way people vote with their feet throgh movement observations, and a
> >>>cognitive mapping exercise using free recall mapping and boundary
> >>>delimitation. By doing all three on an urban area with intelligible and
> >>>unintelligible halves (again using the syntax definition), Kim was able
>to
> >>>unpack the relationship between intelligibility as a property of the
> >>>environment, effects of configuration on movement patterns and so
>learning
> >>>opportunity, and people's cognition - so far as that can be estimated
>by
> >>>sketch mapping exercises. One innovation was to use axial mapping of
>the
> >>>sketch maps themselves as a means of analysing these as configurations
>with
> >>>a topology rather than just as lists of features. This thesis is
>probably
> >>>the most relevant to your concerns.
> >>>
> >>>The third current PhD in the syntax/cognition field is Ruth Conroy who
>is
> >>>using experiments on people using an immersive VR headset to track and
> >>>follow gaze direction as they move through virtual environments. The
> >>>environments include models of real and experimental environments, with
>the
> >>>experimental ones designed to test various configurational properties.
>The
> >>>benefit of immersion is that the record of precise bahaviour, pause
>points,
> >>>gaze direction etc. can be automatically captured, and it is possible
>to
> >>>control the environments to maintain equal levels of surface detail
>etc.
> >>>This work is in the final stages of write-up.
> >>>
> >>>There is also some work going on in this area at Atlanta, in
>particular:
> >>>
> >>>Abdulgader Amir - The spatial logic of pedestrian movement and
>exploration
> >>>in the central area of Jeddah: the effect of spatial configuration on
> >>>shopping behaviour, PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1998.
> >>>
> >>>This looked at individual wayfinding, but did not really look at
>cognition
> >>>- it should still be relevant to your case.
> >>>
> >>>There is a second current doctoral student at GIT who I met in Brasil -
>but
> >>>whose name escapes me - sorry (help pelase John!) who is working in
>this
> >>>area and may be worth contacting.
> >>>
> >>>Apologies to anyone Ive forgotton but shouldn't have, and I'd be
>interested
> >>>in knowing of anyone else doing work in this area
> >>>(syntax/cognition/cognitive mapping).
> >>>
> >>>Alan
> >>>
> >
> >
> >
> >________________________________________________________
> >Alan Penn, Reader in Architectural and Urban Computing
> >Director, VR Centre for the Built Environment
> >The Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning
> >1-19 Torrington Place (Room 335)
> >University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
> >tel. (+44) 020 7504 5919 fax. (+44) 020 7916 1887
> >mobile. (+44) 0411 696875
> >email. [log in to unmask]
> >www. http://www.vr.ucl.ac.uk/
> >________________________________________________________
>
>
>
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