Testing the embodied account of object naming: a concurrent motor task affects naming artifacts and animals

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Embodied Cognition

Background:

• Embodied theories propose shared neural networks for object encoding and retrieval.
• The role of motor programs in object name retrieval remains under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if motor programs causally influence object name retrieval.
• To test the hypothesis that concurrent motor activity interferes with naming manipulable artifacts.

Main Methods:

• Participants performed an object-naming task while squeezing a sponge with one hand.
• Objects (artifacts and animals) were presented in orientations favoring or not favoring a grasp.
• Two experiments varied object orientation and hand involvement.

Main Results:

• Experiment 1 showed naming interference for all objects oriented towards the occupied hand.
• Experiment 2 revealed faster naming for all objects oriented towards the occupied hand.
• Both interference and facilitation effects were observed, suggesting motor activity impacts naming.

Conclusions:

• Concurrent motor activity affects object naming for both artifacts and animals.
• Findings suggest attentional biases, rather than solely motor programs, influence object representation.
• The results challenge a strict interpretation of embodied theories, advocating for scrutiny of attentional accounts.