Relational processing in conceptual combination and analogy

2008 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Estes ◽  
Lara L. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Network ◽  
Conceptual Combination ◽  
Relational Processing ◽  
Additional Mechanism ◽  
Parsimonious Explanation ◽  
Relational Priming

AbstractWe evaluate whether evidence from conceptual combination supports the relational priming model of analogy. Representing relations implicitly as patterns of activation distributed across the semantic network provides a natural and parsimonious explanation of several key phenomena observed in conceptual combination. Although an additional mechanism for role resolution may be required, relational priming offers a promising approach to analogy.

scholarly journals Novel conceptual combination can dynamically reconfigure semantic memory networks

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoed Kenett ◽  
Sharon L. Thompson-Schill
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Memory ◽  
Semantic Network ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Conceptual Combination ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Conceptual Combinations ◽  
Nominal Compounds ◽  
Novel Processing ◽  
Shed Light

We do not simply have concepts; we use concepts. And, the way in which we use concepts can dynamically change the relations among them. One way to shed light on this dynamic nature is to examine how the novel processing of concepts—in our case, interpreting unfamiliar nominal compounds—might reconfigure semantic memory networks. We used network science tools to characterize properties of participants’ semantic networks (e.g., connectivity), and we compared these networks before and after participants constructed novel conceptual combinations. Furthermore, we contrasted combinations in which one attribute of one concept is used to describe another (attributive) with those in which a relation is identified to link two concepts (relational). We found that relational, but not attributive, combinations increased connectivity and lowered structure in the network. We suggest that constructing relational interpretations of compounds requires the generation of novel contexts, thus leading to greater restructuring of the semantic network.

scholarly journals Differential contributions of left-hemispheric language regions to basic semantic composition

2021 ◽  
Vol 226 (2) ◽  
pp. 501-518
Author(s):  
Astrid Graessner ◽  
Emiliano Zaccarella ◽  
Gesa Hartwigsen
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Network ◽  
Anterior Part ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Conceptual Combination ◽  
Lexical Information ◽  
Form Complex ◽  
Semantic Composition ◽  
Basic Semantic

AbstractSemantic composition, the ability to combine single words to form complex meanings, is a core feature of human language. Despite growing interest in the basis of semantic composition, the neural correlates and the interaction of regions within this network remain a matter of debate. We designed a well-controlled two-word fMRI paradigm in which phrases only differed along the semantic dimension while keeping syntactic information alike. Healthy participants listened to meaningful (“fresh apple”), anomalous (“awake apple”) and pseudoword phrases (“awake gufel”) while performing an implicit and an explicit semantic task. We identified neural signatures for distinct processes during basic semantic composition. When lexical information is kept constant across conditions and the evaluation of phrasal plausibility is examined (meaningful vs. anomalous phrases), a small set of mostly left-hemispheric semantic regions, including the anterior part of the left angular gyrus, is found active. Conversely, when the load of lexical information—independently of phrasal plausibility—is varied (meaningful or anomalous vs. pseudoword phrases), conceptual combination involves a wide-spread left-hemispheric network comprising executive semantic control regions and general conceptual representation regions. Within this network, the functional coupling between the left anterior inferior frontal gyrus, the bilateral pre-supplementary motor area and the posterior angular gyrus specifically increases for meaningful phrases relative to pseudoword phrases. Stronger effects in the explicit task further suggest task-dependent neural recruitment. Overall, we provide a separation between distinct nodes of the semantic network, whose functional contributions depend on the type of compositional process under analysis.

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