Tests of Conceptual Metaphor Theory with Episodic Memory Tests

Adopting Lakoff’s (1990) “cognitive commitment”, we make the argument that an under-employed means of testing tenets of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (cmt), and in bridging the gap between studies in cognitive linguistics and experimental cognitive psychology can be through the use of episodic memory tests. We provide examples of the utility of episodic memory for studying cmt, emphasizing the use of the drm False Memory Paradigm. We then describe its utility with other tasks, most notably with Release from Proactive Interference methodology. Although these tasks are based on episodic memory, they are heavily influenced by semantic information, making them useful tools to examine conceptual metaphors. We conclude by describing how episodic memory tasks could be employed to test the automaticity assumption of cmt.

The Effect of Visual Deprivation on the Organization of Conceptual Knowledge

The present paper evaluates the effect of visual deprivation on the organization and retrieval of conceptual knowledge. The experimental study used the release from proactive interference (PI-release) paradigm. Early onset blind (EOB) and sighted (S) subjects were tested with this task and additional visual and nonvisual property retrieval cues. PI-release results showed that the visual cue was less effective for EOB individuals than for S individuals, whereas the nonvisual cue was similarly effective for EOB individuals and S individuals. Results support a grounded view of cognition where the organization of conceptual knowledge depends on the role that sensory and motor channels play in its acquisition.