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The role of working memory in the metaphor interference effect
Russell S Pierce1, Rick Maclaren, Dan L Chiappe
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA. russell.pierce@email.ucr.edu
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|June 17, 2010
Summary
Metaphor processing is automatic, but working memory (WM) capacity influences its speed. Higher WM reduces the metaphor interference effect (MIE), suggesting executive control over early metaphor interpretation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- Metaphor comprehension is a fundamental aspect of human language.
- The metaphor interference effect (MIE) indicates that metaphor processing is automatic.
- The role of executive functions, such as working memory (WM), in metaphor processing remains under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between working memory (WM) capacity and the metaphor interference effect (MIE).
- To explore how executive mechanisms influence the automatic processing of metaphors.
Main Methods:
- Participants judged the literal falsity of metaphors and scrambled sentences.
- The magnitude of the metaphor interference effect (MIE) was measured.
- Individual differences in working memory (WM) capacity were assessed.
Main Results:
- Participants exhibited a significant metaphor interference effect (MIE), taking longer to reject literal falsity for metaphors than for scrambled sentences.
- Higher working memory (WM) capacity was associated with a smaller MIE.
- This suggests that executive control mechanisms can modulate early metaphor processing.
Conclusions:
- Metaphor comprehension, while automatic, is subject to modulation by executive functions, particularly working memory (WM).
- Working memory (WM) influences the construction-integration process and the speed of literal vs. figurative meaning identification.
- These findings contribute to understanding the interplay between automatic and controlled processes in language comprehension, aligning with predictive models of cognition.
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