In the present dissertation, I examine the role of sensory information for abstract conceptual thought. In Chapter 1, the central assumptions in grounded approaches to cognition are introduced and contrasted with more traditional views on the representation of concepts expressed by cognitive researchers since the cognitive revolution in psychology. The three empirical chapters of this thesis focus on how morality, time, and valence are grounded in perceptual symmetry, left-right auditory space, and brightness, respectively. Together, these chapters show that perceptual information influences abstract conceptual processing, even for highly abstract concepts that lack perceptual characteristics.
Abstract Concepts in Grounded Cognition
