Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2025
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Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology
Published on: June 29, 2021
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Mapping semantic space: Exploring the higher-order structure of word meaning
Veronica Diveica1, Emiko J Muraki2, Richard J Binney3
1Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, Bangor University, Gwynedd LL57 2AS, UK; Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada.
Cognition
|April 23, 2024
Summary
Social and inner experiences are crucial for conceptual representation, influencing word meaning alongside sensorimotor and linguistic factors. This study reveals how these dimensions form a coherent semantic space.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
Background:
- Multiple representation theories suggest concepts combine sensorimotor, affective, and linguistic experiences.
- Social experience (socialness) is proposed as a key, yet underexplored, dimension of conceptual representation.
- The interaction of these dimensions in forming conceptual space requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationships between 18 dimensions of word properties.
- To explore how socialness interacts with other experiential dimensions.
- To understand the architecture of conceptual space.
Main Methods:
- Utilized openly available word property norms for 6339 words.
- Conducted a large-scale investigation into 18 dimensions of word properties.
- Employed exploratory factor analysis and network structure modeling.
Main Results:
- Reduced 18 dimensions to six higher-order factors: sub-lexical, distributional, visuotactile, body action, affective, and social interaction.
- Found that socialness clusters with auditory modality and mouth/head actions, suggesting links to verbal interactions.
- Identified unique variance explained by each factor in lexical and semantic tasks, highlighting their contribution to word meaning.
- Revealed pairwise correlations between most dimensions and the centrality of interoception in semantic space.
Conclusions:
- Conceptual space is shaped by a complex interplay of sensorimotor, affective, linguistic, and social experiences.
- Socialness, particularly linked to auditory and action-based experiences, plays a significant role in conceptual representation.
- Interoception is a central dimension within the network structure of semantic space.
- Findings offer new insights into the architecture of conceptual representation and suggest future research directions.
Keywords:
DistributionalEmbodied cognitionExperientialGrounded cognitionSemantic memorySocial semanticsMore Related Videos
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