Relationship between Perspective Taking with Space and People

Abstract

Perspective taking is a versatile ability that helps us examine both the spatial and social qualities of things. We take perspectives because it is adaptable to consider both the physical and abstract qualities of objects and people in relation to ourselves and other entities. However, it is not clear whether perspective taking in a spatial or a social context is performed using the same or different cognitive mechanisms. Two studies investigated the relationship between spatial and social perspective taking by measuring participants’ spatial and social perspective taking (mentalizing) abilities. Additionally, I administered a series of questionnaires that measured personality traits, visualization ability, spatial anxiety, and general anxiety symptoms, to investigate if there are common individual difference factors that contribute to both perspective taking abilities. I explored whether people who are good at taking spatial perspectives are also better at taking social perspectives. I found a positive relationship between spatial and social perspective taking ability, and that openness was a common personality trait that predicted better spatial and social perspective taking abilities. This suggests that both spatial and social concepts are represented and processed in similar ways, bridging our understanding of these two functions of cognition.