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Published on: November 30, 2018
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Contrast perception as a visual heuristic in the formulation of referential expressions
Madeleine Long1, Isabelle Moore2, Francis Mollica3
1Philosophy Department, University of Oslo, Norway.
Cognition
|August 21, 2021
Summary
Speakers use visual contrast as a heuristic, producing more descriptive words when contrast is high. This strategy aids efficient communication and audience design, suggesting a learned behavior rather than simple visual salience.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
- Psychology
Background:
- Contrast perception influences language production.
- Audience design aims for efficient communication.
- Overspecification in language can be strategic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that contrast perception acts as a visual heuristic in language production.
- To investigate the role of visual contrast in referential communication and audience design.
- To determine if color overspecification is a learned strategy or a bottom-up visual effect.
Main Methods:
- Three language-production experiments were conducted.
- Participants described referents in visual displays with varying contrast.
- A re-analysis of previous work on color contrast and overspecification was performed.
Main Results:
- Speakers overspecified color adjectives in polychrome displays but other properties in monochrome displays.
- Color contrast specifically elicited color overspecification, not general visual contrast.
- Atypical colors were only mentioned when color contrast was present.
Conclusions:
- Contrast perception is a heuristic guiding language production for efficient audience design.
- Overspecification, particularly of color, appears to be a learned communicative strategy, not solely driven by visual salience.
- The findings challenge egocentric explanations of overspecification in referential communication.
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