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Probing sensory and associative semantics for animals and objects in normal subjects
K R Laws1, S A Humber, D J Ramsey
1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK.
Memory (Hove, England)
|September 1, 1995
Summary
Semantic memory organization differs for objects versus animals. Verifying sensory attributes of objects took longer than associative ones, suggesting distinct knowledge domains in the brain.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
Background:
- Neuropsychological studies of category-specific semantic memory disorders suggest knowledge is organized into functional-associative and sensory-visual domains.
- A double dissociation has been proposed between knowledge of living things (animals) and objects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate systematic differences in semantic representation dimensions in normal subjects.
- To explore the functional-associative versus sensory-visual domain hypothesis in semantic memory organization.
Main Methods:
- Employed a sentence-verification technique with normal adult subjects.
- Measured response times to statements about sensory attributes versus associative attributes of words.
Main Results:
- Response times were significantly longer for verifying sensory attributes of objects compared to their associative attributes.
- No significant difference in response latency was found for associative versus sensory statements concerning animals.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest a fractionation within verbal semantics, with objects showing a sensory-visual/functional-associative distinction, unlike animals.
- The results have implications for understanding the organization of semantic memory and knowledge representation models.