The effect of ceiling height on the symbolic distance effect Masashi Sugimoto Kyoto University Takashi Kusumi Kyoto University Tokika Kurita Nagoya University Atsuo Ishikawa Takenaka Corporation Takeshi Sakaguchi Takenaka Corporation Megumi Nabetani Takenaka Corporation Hiroki Takahashi Takenaka Corporation Megumi Nishida Takenaka Corporation Abstract: The present study investigated the effect of ceiling height on the symbolic distance effect (SDE). We hypothesized that a high/low ceiling height would produce a small/large SDE through divergent/convergent thinking. We prepared three SDE tasks: numerical, spatial, and temporal. Participants conducted these tasks in both high and low ceiling conditions. Results showed that in the spatial and temporal tasks, a high ceiling height produced smaller SDEs, and a low ceiling produced larger SDEs (but not in the numerical task). These results suggest that the environment affects not only cognitive performance but also the nature of mental representations.