Spatial Cognition Conference 2026

This August, the CDL lab set off to Glasgow to attend the 2026 Spatial Cognition conference hosted by the Turner Kirk Centre for Spatial Reasoning at the University of Glasgow.

This was a multidisciplinary conference branching across the fields of cognitive and developmental psychology, neuroscience, education, computer science, cartography and linguistics. Over the course of three days numerous presentations were given on various aspects of spatial cognition, including but not limited to; spatial learning, navigation, and communication of spatial information.

The CDL lab particularly welcomed the opportunity to showcase the lab’s ongoing work. Shannon Rosbotham presented her PhD research, which explores the spatial-mathematics relation across development and socioeconomic groups during the Doctoral Colloquium. Niamh Gaynor presented a poster on a meta-analysis exploring spatial skills in children born preterm. Katie Gilligan-Lee’s poster described the spatial interference and maths study (SIMS) which investigates the association between spatial skills and mathematics using a dual-task paradigm.

The conference also included three keynotes. The first was Tom Lowrie, who discussed the role of spatial training in maths cognition and explored some of the theories on the potential underlying cognitive mechanisms. The second keynote was given by Lauren Marguilieux who discussed spatial skills and memory, and the final was given by Sherel Sorby whose talk focused on educating the next generation of engineers, advocating for engineering education to highlight the importance of spatial skills.

Overall, the conference provided an excellent avenue for engaging in meaningful scientific conversations and emphasised the importance of spatial cognition throughout development. On behalf of the CDL lab we want to say a big thanks to Quintin Cutts and Jack Parkinson and the rest of the organising committee for a brilliant conference!

Written by Shannon Rosbotham