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Simulating semantics: Are individual differences in motor imagery related to sensorimotor effects in language

Emiko J Muraki¹, Penny M Pexman²

¹Department of Psychology.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition

|July 1, 2021

Summary

This study explored if motor imagery aids semantic processing. Findings suggest motor imagery does not generally explain sensorimotor effects in language tasks, though specific imagery types may play a role.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Linguistics

Background:

Embodied theories posit modal simulations underlie semantic representation, but mechanisms remain underspecified.
Motor imagery is a potential candidate mechanism for these simulations during language processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if motor imagery abilities explain sensorimotor effects in semantic processing.
To examine the relationship between individual differences in motor imagery and language task performance.

Main Methods:

Assessed motor imagery abilities using implicit and explicit measures in 161 participants.
Analyzed sensorimotor effects (e.g., body-object interaction) in lexical decision, syntactic classification, and sentence-picture verification tasks.
Used latent factor analysis and regression to examine relationships between imagery factors and sensorimotor effects.

Main Results:

Replicated some sensorimotor effects in semantic processing but not others across tasks.
Found no significant overall relationship between motor imagery factor scores and sensorimotor effects.
A follow-up analysis revealed a significant interaction between hand movement imagery and body-object interaction effects in syntactic classification.

Conclusions:

Motor imagery does not appear to be a general mechanism for sensorimotor simulation in language processing.
Specific types of motor imagery, like hand movement imagery, might relate to certain sensorimotor effects, warranting further research.
The findings provide limited support for motor imagery as a core component of embodied semantic processing.