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Linking somatic and symbolic representation in semantic memory: the dynamic multilevel reactivation framework.
Jamie Reilly1,2, Jonathan E Peelle3, Amanda Garcia4
1Eleanor M. Saffran Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Temple University, 1701 N. Cecil B Moore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA. reillyj@temple.edu.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|June 14, 2016
Summary
Semantic memory models require biological plausibility. This study proposes a hybrid framework integrating sensorimotor and amodal representations for understanding abstract concepts.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neurobiology of Language
- Computational Linguistics
Background:
- Understanding how the brain processes abstract symbolic transformations for meaning remains a challenge.
- Existing research lacks theoretical convergence on the organization of semantic knowledge.
- Debate continues on the extent to which semantic memory is embodied (sensorimotor) versus amodal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the degree to which conceptual representations are mediated by sensorimotor knowledge (embodiment).
- To investigate how an embodied semantic system might represent abstract concepts.
- To propose a novel framework for semantic memory organization.
Main Methods:
- Review of sensorimotor (embodied) and amodal (disembodied) semantic theories.
- Analysis of neurobiological constraints associated with each theoretical perspective.
- Development of the Dynamic Multilevel Reactivation Framework.
Main Results:
- Extreme forms of both embodied and amodal theories present limitations.
- A hybrid approach is necessary, integrating sensorimotor and amodal symbolic representations.
- The proposed framework utilizes flexible interplay between these representations via cortical hubs.
Conclusions:
- The Dynamic Multilevel Reactivation Framework offers an integrative model for semantic memory.
- This framework accommodates both abstract and concrete concept representation.
- A multidimensional conceptual topography (emotion, sensation, magnitude) frames semantic space, combining sensorimotor and higher-order cognitive dimensions.
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