Abstracts

Space, self and the brain

LUCA TOMMASI University of Chieti, Italy

The representation of space in nervous systems is one of the basic tools that most crucially contribute to the machinery of survival. Storing in memory and mentally processing spatial positions and spatial relations, allow organisms to efficiently operate in their environment and to optimally plan future behaviours in most everyday situations. A number of geometric representations, moreover, seem to be supported by the brains of species that are far from being able to operate by means of symbolic, let alone linguistic, capabilities. Conceiving spatial representations, however, always entails the inclusion of at least one peculiar spatial entity, the cognizant organism itself. In addition, other organisms are often present as elements of spatial representations. Stemming from work on the encoding of geometry in non-human animals, and moving to current research on the influence of social aspects on spatial tasks in humans, I will argue on the important interplay between spatial and social domains in the study of natural cognition – fully promoting the role of ecology in cognitive and brain sciences.