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The development of dynamic perceptual simulations during sentence comprehension
Juliane E K Hauf1, Gerhild Nieding1, Benedikt T Seger2
1Department of Psychology (Developmental Psychology), University of Würzburg, Röntgenring 10, 97070, Würzburg, Germany.
Cognitive Processing
|February 23, 2020
Summary
Children and adults use dynamic perceptual simulations for sentence comprehension. Reaction times were faster when object movement matched sentence direction, regardless of age.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Language comprehension is increasingly understood through embodied cognition theories.
- Perceptual simulations, where the brain reenacts sensory experiences, are hypothesized to play a key role.
- Dynamic aspects of these simulations, especially concerning object motion, remain less explored in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate dynamic perceptual simulations during sentence comprehension in children and adults.
- To examine how implied object motion (upward/downward) affects comprehension speed.
- To determine if age influences the link between perceptual simulations and language processing.
Main Methods:
- A novel experimental paradigm was developed to assess perceptual simulations of vertical object motion.
- Participants (40 adults, 116 children aged 6, 8, 10) listened to sentences implying upward or downward object movement.
- Reaction times were measured as participants identified pictures of objects whose motion matched or mismatched the sentence's implied direction.
Main Results:
- All age groups exhibited shorter reaction times when object motion direction aligned with the sentence's implication.
- No significant developmental effects were observed in reaction times across the studied age groups.
- This suggests a consistent mechanism of dynamic simulation across development from age 6 onwards.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic perceptual simulations are integral to language comprehension from age 6 through adulthood.
- The findings support embodied theories of language, highlighting the role of sensory-motor systems.
- Future research could explore other dynamic aspects of simulation in language processing.
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