scholarly journals Enhancing a Tangible Tabletop with Embedded-Technology Objects for Experiencing Deep Time

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusseli Lizeth Méndez Mendoza ◽  
M. Cecília Baranauskas
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Tangible Interfaces ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Embedded Technology ◽  
Physical Objects ◽  
Educational Exhibit ◽  
Concrete Concepts

Abstract concepts are harder to understand because they do not provide a direct sensory reference as concrete concepts do. Tangible interfaces have been shown benefits to facilitate the learning of such concepts through the manipulation of physical objects. In this work, we investigate the use of TangiTime, an educational exhibit designed and constructed as a tangible tabletop enhanced with embedded-technology objects to explore the concept of deep time. In particular, we were interested in the role of embedded-technology objects to support engagement and learning. We describe the TangiTime design process and artifacts implementation. Also, we present the context in which the exhibit was put into usage and results. Our results indicate that interaction with embedded-technology objects creates new ways of experiencing tangible tabletops and more engagement with the theme of the exhibit.

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

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.

scholarly journals Designing a tangible tabletop installation and enacting a socioenactive experience with TangiTime

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusseli Lizeth Méndez Mendoza ◽  
M. Cecília C. Baranauskas
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Interaction Design ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Educational Exhibit ◽  
Computational Systems ◽  
Computational Technology

AbstractContemporary computational technology (tangible and ubiquitous) are still challenging the mainstream systems design methods, demanding new ways of considering the interaction design and its evaluation. In this work, we draw on concepts of enactivism and enactive systems to investigate interaction and experience in the context of the ubiquity of computational systems. Our study is illustrated with the design and usage experience of TangiTime: a tangible tabletop system proposed for an educational exhibit. TangiTime was designed to enable a socioenactive experience of interaction with the concept of “deep time.” In this paper, we present the TangiTime design process, the artifacts designed and implemented, in its conceptual, interactional, and architectural aspects. Besides that, we present and discuss results of an exploratory study within an exhibition context, to observe how socioenactive aspects of the experience potentially emerge from the interaction. Overall, the paper contributes with elements of design that should be considered when designing a socioenactive experience in environments constituted by contemporary computational technology.

scholarly journals Evidence for the Concreteness of Abstract Language: A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Nicola Del Maschio ◽  
Davide Fedeli ◽  
Gioacchino Garofalo ◽  
Giovanni Buccino
Keyword(s):  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Physical World ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Broca’S Region ◽  
Complex Motor ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
Motor Representations ◽  
Better Than

The neural mechanisms subserving the processing of abstract concepts remain largely debated. Even within the embodiment theoretical framework, most authors suggest that abstract concepts are coded in a linguistic propositional format, although they do not completely deny the role of sensorimotor and emotional experiences in coding it. To our knowledge, only one recent proposal puts forward that the processing of concrete and abstract concepts relies on the same mechanisms, with the only difference being in the complexity of the underlying experiences. In this paper, we performed a meta-analysis using the Activation Likelihood Estimates (ALE) method on 33 functional neuroimaging studies that considered activations related to abstract and concrete concepts. The results suggest that (1) concrete and abstract concepts share the recruitment of the temporo-fronto-parietal circuits normally involved in the interactions with the physical world, (2) processing concrete concepts recruits fronto-parietal areas better than abstract concepts, and (3) abstract concepts recruit Broca’s region more strongly than concrete ones. Based on anatomical and physiological evidence, Broca’s region is not only a linguistic region mainly devoted to speech production, but it is endowed with complex motor representations of different biological effectors. Hence, we propose that the stronger recruitment of this region for abstract concepts is expression of the complex sensorimotor experiences underlying it, rather than evidence of a purely linguistic format of its processing.

scholarly journals Abstract concepts in interaction: the need of others when guessing abstract concepts smooths dyadic motor interactions

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 201205
Author(s):  
Chiara Fini ◽  
Vanessa Era ◽  
Federico Da Rold ◽  
Matteo Candidi ◽  
Anna M. Borghi
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Visual Images ◽  
Main Experiment ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Interaction Task ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
Control Study ◽  
Motor Interaction

Abstract concepts (ACs, e.g. ‘justice’) are more complex compared with concrete concepts (CCs) (e.g. ‘table’). Indeed, they do not possess a single object as a referent, they assemble quite heterogeneous members and they are more detached from exteroceptive and more grounded in interoceptive experience. Recent views have hypothesized that interpersonal communication is particularly crucial to acquire and use ACs. The current study investigates the reliance of ACs/CCs representation on interpersonal behaviour. We asked participants to perform a motor interaction task with two avatars who embodied two real confederates. Before and after the motor interaction task, the two confederates provided participants with hints in a concept guessing task associated with visual stimuli: one helped in guessing ACs and the other, CCs. A control study we performed both with the materials employed in the main experiment and with other materials, confirmed that associating verbal concepts with visual images was more difficult with ACs than with CCs. Consistently, the results of the main experiment showed that participants asked for more hints with ACs than CCs and were more synchronous when interacting with the avatar corresponding to the AC's confederate. The results highlight an important role of sociality in grounding ACs.

scholarly journals Learning and Using Abstract Words: Evidence from Clinical Populations

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Luisa Lorusso ◽  
Michele Burigo ◽  
Alessandro Tavano ◽  
Anna Milani ◽  
Sara Martelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Williams Syndrome ◽  
Cognitive Profile ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Abstract Words ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
Concrete Words

It has been shown that abstract concepts are more difficult to process and are acquired later than concrete concepts. We analysed the percentage of concrete words in the narrative lexicon of individuals with Williams Syndrome (WS) as compared to individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) and typically developing (TD) peers. The cognitive profile of WS is characterized by visual-spatial difficulties, while DS presents with predominant impairments in linguistic abilities. We predicted that if linguistic abilities are crucial to the development and use of an abstract vocabulary, DS participants should display a higher concreteness index than both Williams Syndrome and typically developing individuals. Results confirm this prediction, thus supporting the hypothesis of a crucial role of linguistic processes in abstract language acquisition. Correlation analyses suggest that a maturational link exists between the level of abstractness in narrative production and syntactic comprehension.

scholarly journals How do blind people represent rainbows? Disentangling components of conceptual representations

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ella Striem-Amit ◽  
Xiaoying Wang ◽  
Yanchao Bi ◽  
Alfonso Caramazza
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Information ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Medial Dorsal ◽  
Sensory Features ◽  
Pattern Similarity ◽  
Temporal Pole ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
The Brain

AbstractHow do we represent information that has no sensory features? How are abstract concepts like “freedom”, devoid of external perceptible referents, represented in the brain? To address the role of sensory information in the neural representation of concepts, we investigated how people born blind process concepts whose referents are imperceptible to them because of their visual nature (e.g. “rainbow”, or “red”). We find that the left dorsal anterior temporal lobe (ATL) shows preference both to typical abstract concepts (“freedom”) and to concepts whose referents are not sensorially-available to the blind (“rainbow”), as compared to partially sensorially-perceptible referents (e.g. “rain”). Activation pattern similarity in dorsal ATL is related to the sensorial-accessibility ratings of the concepts in the blind. Parts of inferior-lateral aspects of ATL and the temporal pole responded preferentially to abstract concepts devoid of any external referents (“freedom”) relative to imperceptible objects, in effect distinguishing between object and non-object concepts. The medial ATL showed a preference for concrete concepts (“cup”), along with a preference for partly perceptible items to the blind (“rain”, as compared with “rainbow”), indicating this region’s role in representing concepts with sensory referents beyond vision. The findings point to a new division of labor among medial, dorsal and lateral aspects of ATL in representing different properties of object and non-object concepts.

scholarly journals Boundaries to grounding abstract concepts

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1752) ◽  
pp. 20170132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Pecher ◽  
René Zeelenberg
Keyword(s):  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Concept Representation ◽  
Motor Processing ◽  
Image Schemas ◽  
Sensory Motor ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Concrete Representations ◽  
Processing Language

Grounded theories of cognition claim that concept representation relies on the systems for perception and action. The sensory-motor grounding of abstract concepts presents a challenge for these theories. Some accounts propose that abstract concepts are indirectly grounded via image schemas or situations. Recent research, however, indicates that the role of sensory-motor processing for concrete concepts may be limited, providing evidence against the idea that abstract concepts are grounded via concrete concepts. Hybrid models that combine language and sensory-motor experience may provide a more viable account of abstract and concrete representations. We propose that sensory-motor grounding is important during acquisition and provides structure to concepts. Later activation of concepts relies on this structure but does not necessarily involve sensory-motor processing. Language is needed to create coherent concepts from diverse sensory-motor experiences. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain’.

scholarly journals Abstract concepts in interaction: The need of others when guessing abstract concepts smooths dyadic motor interactions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Fini ◽  
Vanessa Era ◽  
Federico Darold ◽  
Matteo Candidi ◽  
Anna M. Borghi
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Interpersonal Behavior ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Single Object ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Interaction Task ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Motor Interaction

Abstract concepts (e.g. “justice”) differ from concrete concepts (e.g. “table”) because they are more detached from exteroceptive and more grounded in interoceptive experience, they do not possess a single object as referent, and they assemble quite heterogeneous members. Recent views have hypothesized that interpersonal communication is particularly crucial to acquire and use abstract concepts. The current study investigates the impact of abstract/concrete concepts representation over interpersonal behavior. We asked participants to perform a motor interaction task with two avatars who embodied two real confederates. Before and after the motor interaction task, the two confederates provided participants with hints in a concept guessing task: one helped in guessing abstract concepts and the other concrete ones. Participants asked more hints with abstract concepts and were more synchronous when interacting with the avatar corresponding to the abstract concept’s confederate. The results highlight an important role of sociality in grounding abstract concepts.

The representation of abstract concepts: The role of affect

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Vigliocco ◽  
David P. Vinson ◽  
Pasquale Della Rosa ◽  
Stefano F. Cappa ◽  
Joseph T. Devlin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abstract Concepts

Effects of Context on Processing Emotionally Neutral Abstract and Concrete Concepts

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 1191-1200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liusheng Wang ◽  
Hongmei Qiu ◽  
Jianjun Yin
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Lexical Decision Task ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Context Condition ◽  
Word Context ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
Concrete Words

The abstractness effect describes the phenomenon of individuals processing abstract concepts faster and more accurately than they process concrete concepts. In this study, we explored the effects of context on how 43 college students processed words, controlling for the emotional valence of the words. The participants performed a lexical decision task in which they were shown individual abstract and concrete words, or abstract and concrete words embedded in sentences. The results showed that in the word-context condition the participants' processing of concrete concepts improved, whereas in the sentence-context condition their processing of abstract concepts improved. These findings support the embodied cognition theory of concept processing.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document