What is the visual-spatial world?

The visual-spatial world refers to how we perceive and interact with space around us, which is a fundamental part of human cognition and experience. Barbara Tversky, in her conversation with Shane Parrish, explains that our understanding and interactions with the visual-spatial world are crucial because they precede language evolutionarily and occupy a substantial portion of our cortex. This world has its own structure and logic, separate from language. Tversky believes that language is likely based on how we perceive space and perform spatial actions, emphasizing that interactions with space are vital for survival, such as finding one's way home or feeding oneself 1.

Additionally, Tversky's research shows that visual explanations (like diagrams) enhance comprehension and retention of information better than verbal explanations. This is because visual representations provide a platform for inference, checking coherence and completeness, and force abstraction to capture essentials more effectively than verbal methods 2.