Exploring the connection between semantic similarity and spatial distance: Does close in mind mean close in space?

Perceptual experiences and interactions with the environment are assumed fundamental to the development of conceptual knowledge. For instance, the spatial arrangement of words can affect the perception of similarity between the concepts they represent, supporting theories which suggest that the neural systems involved in spatial cognition also contribute to structuring conceptual knowledge. At the same time, however, increasing evidence points to language as a powerful medium for learning, suggesting a close interaction between perceptual and linguistic experiences in structuring conceptual knowledge. That is, while studies have shown that spatial distance can influence semantic similarity, it remains unclear whether this process is reciprocal. In this context, the present study aims to explore this potential bidirectional relationship. To do so, we employed a Distributional Semantic Model to quantify the semantic similarity of a set of words and used these values as predictors in an explicit spatial judgment task. Specifically, we hypothesized that the spatial distance between word pairs would be perceived as shorter for semantically related pairs compared to unrelated ones, suggesting a “compression” in the perception of space induced by linguistic information. Although our results revealed only a subtle trend in the direction of our hypothesis, these findings contribute to the ongoing debate on conceptual processing, which has traditionally been divided between embodied and linguistic perspectives. We propose reconsidering traditional views on embodied cognition, which often separate sensory and language experience, as findings increasingly support their interconnected nature, with future research aimed at clarifying the intricate connection between spatial and linguistic processing. Keywords: spatial distance, semantic similarity, distributional semantics models.