The representation of abstract concepts: The role of affect

Embodied cognition theories propose that abstract concepts can be embodied via metaphorical extensions from experiences of the physical or the mental worlds. In three experiments, we explored how semantic size (e.g., the magnitude, dimension or extent of an object or a concept) of abstract concepts is mentally represented. We show that abstract size is metaphorically associated with the physical size of concrete objects (Experiment 1) and can produce a semantic-font size congruency effect comparable to that demonstrated in concrete words during online lexical processing (Experiment 2). Critically, this size congruency effect is large when a word is judged by its size but significantly smaller when it is judged by its emotionality (Experiment 3). Our results suggest that semantic size of abstract concepts can be represented in physical size and that such experiences are variably engaged under different task demands. The present findings advocate flexible embodiment of semantic representations, with an emphasis on the role of task effects on conceptual processing.

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Abstract Concepts in Grounded Cognition

10.31237/osf.io/hvu7g ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Lakens

Keyword(s):

Sensory Information ◽

Grounded Cognition ◽

Abstract Concepts ◽

Auditory Space ◽

Conceptual Processing ◽

Conceptual Thought ◽

Cognitive Revolution ◽

Perceptual Characteristics

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.

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Making the Conceptual Tangible: The Role of Art in Understanding Mathematics and Physics

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-960 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lucy E Smith

Keyword(s):

School Curriculum ◽

Abstract Concepts ◽

Resonant Frequencies ◽

Educational Role ◽

Shape Pattern ◽

Pattern Scale ◽

Physical Phenomena ◽

Mathematics And Science ◽

Mathematics And Physics

This research considers the educational role of art in finding pathways towards accessing mathematics and science, particularly those abstract concepts usually only accessible to people with an advanced algebraic vocabulary.In the light of the narrowing of the school curriculum in recent decades, and particularly the reduction in timetabling of art and music in English schools, this research actively explores the use of topic overlap between sciences and art to investigate how abstract concepts can be made tangible through visual and aural stimulation.Kinetic sculpture is employed that visibly and audibly demonstrates particular phenomena, e.g. wavelike behaviour, harmonic ratios or resonance. The sculpture encompasses two or more tangible aspects such as shape, pattern, scale, sound, resonant frequencies, motion, recorded film that illuminates differences in different latitudes, and reversed or translated perspectives.Feedback is sought through exhibitions of the sculpture. Through observation, survey and interview, key metrics are captured and analysed. These include the degree to which interest has been captured, curiosity aroused, and particularly comprehension aided by the art designed to maximise observation, questioning, critical thinking and learning.The longer term goal of the research is to initiate a conversation in the wider public domain as to the value of art in accessing abstract concepts. It will bring to the broadest forum the value of art in its uniqueness, breadth of language, immediacy and power of communication by visibly and audibly shedding light on physical phenomena and enabling people the potential for greater success and enjoyment in learning.&#160;

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EXPRESS: Articulatory suppression delays processing of abstract words: the role of inner speech

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1177/17470218211053623 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174702182110536

Author(s):

Chiara Fini ◽

Gian Daniele Zannino ◽

Matteo Orsoni ◽

Giovanni Augusto Carlesimo ◽

Mariagrazia Benassi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Articulatory Suppression ◽

Judgment Task ◽

Inner Speech ◽

Dominant Hand ◽

Conceptual Representation ◽

Abstract Concepts ◽

Single Object ◽

Abstract Words ◽

Concrete Concepts

Compared to concrete concepts, like “book”, abstract concepts expressed by words like “justice” are more detached from sensorial experiences, even though they are also grounded in sensorial modalities. Abstract concepts lack a single object as referent and are characterized by higher variability both within and across participants. According to the Word as Social Tool (WAT) proposal, owing to their complexity, abstract concepts need to be processed with the help of inner language. Inner language can namely help participants to re-explain to themselves the meaning of the word, to keep information active in working memory, and to prepare themselves to ask information from more competent people. While previous studies have demonstrated that the mouth is involved during abstract concepts’ processing, both the functional role and the mechanisms underlying this involvement still need to be clarified. We report an experiment in which participants were required to evaluate whether 78 words were abstract or concrete by pressing two different pedals. During the judgment task, they were submitted, in different blocks, to a baseline, an articulatory suppression, and a manipulation condition. In the last two conditions, they had to repeat a syllable continually and to manipulate a softball with their dominant hand. Results showed that articulatory suppression slowed down the processing of abstract more than that of concrete words. Overall results confirm the WAT proposal’s hypothesis that abstract concepts processing involves the mouth motor system and specifically inner speech. We discuss the implications for current theories of conceptual representation.

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Affective Arousal Links Sound to Meaning

Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/0956797620927967 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (8) ◽

pp. 978-986 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Arash Aryani ◽

Erin S. Isbilen ◽

Morten H. Christiansen

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Processes ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Abstract Concepts ◽

Subjective Ratings ◽

Acoustic Models ◽

Affective Arousal ◽

Shape Mapping ◽

Development And Evolution ◽

Affective System

Prior investigations have demonstrated that people tend to link pseudowords such as bouba to rounded shapes and kiki to spiky shapes, but the cognitive processes underlying this matching bias have remained controversial. Here, we present three experiments underscoring the fundamental role of emotional mediation in this sound–shape mapping. Using stimuli from key previous studies, we found that kiki-like pseudowords and spiky shapes, compared with bouba-like pseudowords and rounded shapes, consistently elicit higher levels of affective arousal, which we assessed through both subjective ratings (Experiment 1, N = 52) and acoustic models implemented on the basis of pseudoword material (Experiment 2, N = 70). Crucially, the mediating effect of arousal generalizes to novel pseudowords (Experiment 3, N = 64, which was preregistered). These findings highlight the role that human emotion may play in language development and evolution by grounding associations between abstract concepts (e.g., shapes) and linguistic signs (e.g., words) in the affective system.

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Reexamining the Role of Maps in Geographic Education: Images, Analysis, and Evaluation

Cartographic Perspectives ◽

10.14714/cp17.943 ◽

1994 ◽

pp. 10-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

James E. Young

Keyword(s):

Abstract Concepts ◽

Educational Materials ◽

Geographic Education ◽

Value Judgments ◽

Analysis And Evaluation ◽

Value Evaluation ◽

Linguistic Model ◽

Social Studies Textbooks ◽

Mental Connections

The ability to make, understand, and use maps is essential for anyone trying to think about the world around them. Children's failure to make and use maps in a meaningful way contributes to the lack of geographic awareness across the country. The "linguistic map" (a graphic representation of the mental connections between words, sensory images, abstract concepts, and value judgments) is proposed as a model for evaluating maps used in educational materials. An evaluation of social studies textbooks found that the maps failed to promote learning at all three levels proposed by the linguistic model: concrete images, abstract analysis, and value evaluation. Problems with the textbook maps are examined and suggestions developed for using maps in educational materials.

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‘He Spoke and It Was’: Human Language, Divine Creation, and the imago dei

Horizons in Biblical Theology ◽

10.1163/18712207-12341269 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 42-59

Author(s):

Gerald A. Klingbeil

Keyword(s):

Image Of God ◽

Spoken Word ◽

Human Language ◽

Human History ◽

Abstract Concepts ◽

John 1 ◽

Human Ability ◽

The Image Of God ◽

Point Of Departure

Abstract This study examines the triangle linking biblical creation, anthropology, and human language. It takes as its point of departure the notion that language is an important part of the image of God in which humanity was created (Gottebenbildlichkeit). Since most of creation is accomplished through God’s spoken word (see Gen 1 and also John 1), the human ability to speak and communicate abstract concepts appears to be an echo of the divine and distinguishes humans from the rest of creation. The paper traces some of the highlights marking the important role of language within the context of human history, including the fall and the divine plan of redemption, thus linking the theological categories of anthropology and soteriology.

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The role of emotional valence in learning novel abstract concepts

10.31234/osf.io/2q48x ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Gabriella Vigliocco ◽

Marta Ponari ◽

Courtenay Norbury

Keyword(s):

Teaching Strategy ◽

Age Of Acquisition ◽

Emotional Valence ◽

The Other ◽

Abstract Concepts ◽

Emotional Information ◽

Emotional Words ◽

Abstract Words ◽

Better Than

A recent study by Ponari et al. (2017), showed that emotional valence (i.e., whether a word evokes positive, negative or no affect) predicts age-of-acquisition ratings, and that up to the age of 8-9, children know abstract emotional words better than neutral ones. On the basis of these findings, emotional valence has been argued to provide a bootstrapping mechanism for the acquisition of abstract concepts. However, no previous work has directly assessed whether words’ valence, or valence of the context in which words are used, facilitates learning of unknown abstract words. Here, we investigate whether valence supports acquisition of novel abstract concepts. Seven to 10 years old children were taught novel abstract words and concepts (words typically learnt at an older age and that children did not know); words were either valenced (positive or negative) or neutral. We also manipulated the context in which words were presented: for one group of children, the teaching strategy emphasised emotional information; for the other, it emphasised encyclopaedic, non-emotional information. Abstract words with emotional valence were learnt better than neutral abstract words by children up to the age of 8-9, replicating previous findings; no effect of teaching strategy was found. These results indicate that emotional valence supports abstract concepts acquisition, and further suggest that it is the valence information intrinsic to the word’s meaning to have a role, rather than the valence of the context in which the word is learnt.

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Perceptual and Interoceptive Strength Norms for 270 French Words

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.667271 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Aurélie Miceli ◽

Erika Wauthia ◽

Laurent Lefebvre ◽

Laurence Ris ◽

Isabelle Simoes Loureiro

Keyword(s):

Perceptual Experience ◽

Word Processing ◽

Online Survey ◽

French Language ◽

Future Research ◽

Strongly Correlated ◽

Abstract Concepts ◽

Perceptual Modalities ◽

French Words

Perceptual experience through the five modalities (i.e., vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) has demonstrated its key role in semantics. Researchers also highlighted the role of interoceptive information in the grounded representation of concepts. However, to this day, there is no available data across these modalities in the French language. Therefore, the aim of this study was to circumvent this caveat. Participants aged between 18 and 50 completed an online survey in which we recorded scores of perceptual strength (PS), interoceptive information, imageability, concreteness, conceptual familiarity, and age of acquisition of 270 words of the French language. We also analysed the relationships between perceptual modalities and psycholinguistic variables. Results showed that vast majority of concepts were visually-dominant. Correlation analyses revealed that the five PS variables were strongly correlated with imageability, concreteness, and conceptual familiarity and highlight that PS variables index one aspect of the semantic representations of a word. On the other hand, high interoceptive scores were highlighted only for the less imageable and less concrete words, emphasizing their importance for the grounding of abstract concepts. Future research could use these norms in the investigation of the role of perceptual experience in the representation of concepts and their impact on word processing.

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Cognitive Function of Conceptual Metaphors in “The Raw Shark Texts” by Steven Hall

Pitannâ lìteraturoznavstva ◽

10.31861/pytlit2019.100.058 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 58-71

Author(s):

Aliona Matiychak

Keyword(s):

Conceptual Metaphor ◽

Memory Storage ◽

Abstract Concepts ◽

Conceptual Metaphors ◽

Visual Metaphors ◽

Narrative Structures ◽

Dissociative Amnesia ◽

On Line ◽

Split Personality

From the perspective of modern cognitive science the conceptual metaphor reflects the mental aspect of cognition and creation of a new conception of the world. Therefore, numerous researchers in the area of conceptual metaphor explored it as the understanding of one conceptual domain in terms of another, paying little attention to the role of fiction diegesis. Thus, the objective of the article is to gain a better understanding of conceptual metaphor perception in the diegesis of Steven Hall's fiction. In “The Raw Shark Texts” the conceptual worldview helps the protagonist to recreate the chronicle of his self-identification after the posttraumatic loss of memory. Human knowledge, experience and communication as well as his individual mind, ideas and thoughts are perceived by the protagonist’s split personality as an aquatic space inhabited by conceptual fish. His fear of the conceptual shark, feeding on his memory, generates distinctive psychedelic hydro-text in the form of specific narrative structures. The state of fear also extends to increased human dependence on technology, digital databases (on-line memory storage and loss). The discreteness of narrative diegesis emphasizes the protagonist’s frustrations and is used by the author as a literary imitation of dissociative amnesia. Besides peculiar metaphorical expressions, in the author’s visual metaphors, owing to the simultaneous implementation of the first and second planes of the metaphor content, a third plane (a new reality) arises. Comprehension of conceptual metaphors as intimately interconnected in the narrative diegesis reveals the way of creating layered, intertwined conceptual reality exemplified by the First / the Second Eric Sanderson’s narrative structures. Consequently, metaphorical expressions and visual metaphors in Steven Hall's novel are merely a manifestation of the conceptual metaphors underlying them. Reproducing the features of perception mechanisms in their interaction with psychological, the author was able to catch the common between tangible things and abstract concepts, matter and idea, to compare the incomparable. This approach allows us to consider the conceptual metaphor as a structural component of meta-fiction and to emphasize the cognition specificity of metaphor in creation of new realities in it.

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