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Neural correlates of concreteness in semantic categorization
Penny M Pexman1, Ian S Hargreaves, Jodi D Edwards
1University of Calgary, Canada. pexman@ucalgary.ca
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|July 27, 2007
Summary
Abstract concepts activate more brain regions than concrete concepts, challenging existing theories. This suggests abstract thought relies on a broader network of associated brain areas for semantic retrieval.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psycholinguistics
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- The concreteness effect shows concrete words are easier to recall than abstract words.
- Dual-coding and context-availability theories explain this by proposing impoverished abstract representations.
- Previous neuroimaging studies yielded inconclusive results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural basis of semantic representation for concrete versus abstract words.
- To test predictions of dual-coding and context-availability theories using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- To explore alternative models of semantic representation.
Main Methods:
- Event-related fMRI was used with a semantic categorization task.
- Participants (20 healthy adults) made judgments on concrete and abstract words (ambiguous and unambiguous).
- Cortical activation patterns were analyzed and contrasted between concrete and abstract word meanings.
Main Results:
- Abstract meanings elicited more widespread cortical activation than concrete meanings.
- This pattern was observed for both ambiguous and unambiguous words.
- Increased activation for abstract words was noted in temporal, parietal, and frontal cortices.
Conclusions:
- Findings contradict dual-coding and context-availability theories, which predict less activation for abstract concepts.
- Results suggest abstract concept retrieval involves a distributed network of association areas.
- This aligns with theories like perceptual symbol systems, where mechanisms are similar but content differs.
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