Topological structure in human spatial representation revealed through drawing
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Human spatial representations are often assumed to represent Euclidean properties such as length, distance, and angle. Here we test an alternative (but not mutually exclusive) possibility – that spatial memory is structured around topological relations. Across four experiments, adults and children memorized simple letter-like figures and reproduced them by drawing. Drawings showed systematic distortions of metric features, including strong biases of angles toward 90° and compression of line length towards an average value. In contrast, topologically critical features — such as T-junctions and holes — were reliably preserved, even relative to closely matched but topologically irrelevant features like L-junctions. These effects were magnified in a serial reproduction paradigm, in which participants iteratively generated new drawings from previous participant drawings: At the end of each mnemonic chain, figures converged on simplified topological structures as metric detail degraded. Similar patterns were observed in children aged five to eight years. Together, these findings suggest that topological relations may function as primitive building blocks of human spatial representation, with metric detail encoded inconsistently. Significance statement The iconic map of the London Underground is one of the most famous maps in history, yet something special about it goes unnoticed: it is not a veridical representation of space. Distances are arbitrary, and angles are presented only in coarse terms. Yet the ubiquity and appeal of such maps suggest that topological representation is intuitive — as if the mind is keen to receive information in exactly this way. Here, using drawing as a tool, we show directly that the most primitive form of spatial representation may be something akin to a topological skeleton. Remarkably, even children as young as five represent spatial structure in topological terms, with roughly the same fidelity as adults — pointing to an underappreciated building block of spatial representation.
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7164938265