Culture and Language Nativeness Affect Spatial Perspective Taking in Language Production

Speakers typically describe scenes from their own spatial perspective, but have the ability to use allocentric perspectives as well. In two experiments, we examined how cultural, language, and situational factors affect which perspective speakers choose when describing the spatial locations of objects. Experiment 1 found that native Chinese speakers were more likely to use an allocentric perspective when describing scenes that included a person with an opposite perspective than scenes that did not; moreover, they did so to a greater extent than native English speakers. Experiment 2 compared spatial perspective taking in native Chinese speakers using either their native language (Chinese) or a non-native language (English) while measuring their degree of collectivism. Non-native language use but not higher collectivism was associated with an increase in allocentric perspective use. These results suggest that cultural factors beyond collectivism, language nativeness, and the presence of a person play a role in spatial perspective taking in language production. Thus, future academic research as well as professionals across various industries should take into account these factors when spatial perspective taking is relevant.