权力概念加工对视觉空间注意定向的影响：一个ERP证据

概念表征是认知心理学研究的一个重要领域。具身认知理论认为, 在概念加工过程中, 个体会以具身模拟的形式对概念所暗含的空间方位信息进行理解。本研究采用事件相关电位技术, 考察抽象权力概念加工时的激活特点。实验首先要求被试对出现在屏幕中央的词进行权力高/低判断, 接着在屏幕的上方或者下方呈现一个字母(“m”或“n”), 要求被试对目标物进行按键反应。结果发现, 当权力词隐喻的空间特性与目标物出现的位置一致时诱发了一个更大的N1波幅, 不一致时诱发了一个更大的P3波幅。该结果提示, 抽象权力概念加工时会产生自动激活空间上-下意向图示, 对权力词的加工影响了随后字母位置的判断, 并将空间注意指向了与意向图示相一致的位置, 从时间加工进程看, 起始于早期的知觉识别并一直持续到晚期的高级认知加工阶段, 权力概念加工具有内隐性。     

具身模拟程度和具体性对词语效价表征的影响

采用词性判断和启动加工任务考察具身模拟程度和具体性对词语效价具身表征的影响。结果发现,在具身模拟程度低的空间表征中,只有敏感的负性词出现了效价和远近距离的相容效应;在模拟程度高的趋避表征中,正性词和负性词都与趋避动作产生了相容效应,并且具体词的效价和趋避表征之间的联结强于抽象词。     

道德概念具身隐喻及其影响因素：来自元分析的证据

采用元分析技术探讨道德概念具身隐喻及其影响因素。通过文献检索和筛选, 共有65篇文献153个独立样本符合元分析标准( N = 8659)。元分析结果显示, 道德概念具身隐喻的始源域与目标域存在中等程度正相关(r = 0.34); 调节效应检验表明, 道德概念具身隐喻受文化背景和隐喻维度的影响, 但不受隐喻映射方向、研究范式和感觉通道的影响。以上研究结果表明, 道德概念具身隐喻具有心理现实性, 并且受文化背景和隐喻维度的调节, 具体而言, 东方文化背景下个体的道德概念具身隐喻更强, 道德概念与空间维度和大小维度的隐喻联结程度更高。     

平辈亲属词语义加工中长幼概念的空间隐喻和重量隐喻——来自中国朝鲜族和汉族的证据

采用具身认知范式考察平辈亲属词语义加工中长幼概念的空间和重量隐喻,比较中国朝鲜族和汉族的长幼观念。实验1表明,中国朝鲜族人在平辈亲属词语义加工中对平辈年长亲属词的加工快于对平辈年幼亲属词的加工,并且存在着部分的上下隐喻一致性效应,平辈年幼亲属词呈现在屏幕的下方加工得快。汉族人在平辈亲属词语义加工中存在着完整的上下隐喻一致性效应:平辈年长亲属词呈现在屏幕上方加工得快,平辈年幼亲属词呈现在屏幕下方加工得快。实验2表明,"左大右小"的亲属词对促进了中国朝鲜族人对"左重右轻"天平倾斜方向的判断,表明亲属词对蕴含的长幼概念激活了重量概念,但对汉族人的天平倾斜方向判断却无显著的影响。实验3表明,"左重右轻"的天平倾斜方向促进了中国朝鲜族人对"左大右小"的朝鲜语亲属词对的年龄比较,表明重量加工激活了长幼概念,但不影响汉族人对汉语亲属词对的年龄比较。朝、汉两个民族对平辈亲属词的不同隐喻方式源于不同的文化图式,反映了两个民族的长幼文化的差异:与汉族人相比,中国朝鲜族人更重视长幼秩序,对长幼规范的要求更加严格。     

情绪名词的具体性效应：来自ERP的证据

词汇的具体性和情绪性是影响词汇加工的不同因素, 高具体性和情绪性都能够促进词汇的加工。本研究同时操纵词汇的具体性和情绪性, 使用词汇判定任务和愉悦度判断任务, 探讨了情绪名词的具体性效应及其具体性效应是否受词汇情绪信息的影响。结果发现：情绪名词的具体性效应受内隐或外显情绪条件的影响, 具体的情绪词比抽象的情绪词反应时间更短、正确率更高, 诱发了更大的N400和减小的LPC, 但LPC的具体性效应只表现在内隐情绪任务中。词汇的具体性和情绪性的相互影响发生在内隐情绪任务中的语义加工阶段, 正性、负性的具体词和抽象词的加工在N400成分上差异不显著, 而中性具体词和抽象词在N400成分上差异显著, 说明词汇的情绪信息为抽象词的加工提供了充分的语境, 因此消除了具体词的加工优势。     

道德的轻与重：道德的重量具身效应及隐喻的调节作用

本研究采用行为反应时和事件相关电位(ERP)探讨道德的重量具身效应及“重量-道德”隐喻联结对该效应的调节作用。参考内隐联想测验的逻辑，采用联合分类反应任务，在默认的“重量-道德”隐喻表征情境（实验1）和道德垂直空间隐喻的启动情境（实验2）中，要求被试分别使用轻鼠标和重鼠标对道德/不道德词进行分类判断，考察鼠标重量对道德概念的加工所产生的影响。结果显示，在默认情境中，“重-道德，轻-不道德”的联合分类条件比“轻-道德，重-不道德”条件的分类反应时更短，并伴随有更大的脑电晚期正成分（LPC），而在启动道德垂直空间隐喻后，两种联合分类条件下的反应时和LPC结果出现反转。本研究结果表明道德概念的加工会受到重量经验的影响，“重量-道德”具身效应具有心理现实性，且重量概念与道德概念的隐喻联结引导并调节了这种具身效应。     

道德概念垂直空间隐喻对空间关系判断的影响

本研究通过三个实验考察道德概念垂直空间隐喻对空间关系判断的影响。涉及的空间关系判断包括上下关系判断、远近关系判断和距离判断。研究结果显示：（1）上下判断中,在空间上方时,道德词的反应快于不道德词;在空间下方时,不道德词的反应快于道德词;（2）远近判断中,在空间上方时,个体更倾向于将道德词判断为"远",即道德词更偏上;在空间下方时,没有显著的偏向;（3）在距离判断中,个体对道德词的判断出现显著的向上偏移,对不道德词的判断则出现显著的向下偏移。由此得出结论：道德概念的垂直空间隐喻会影响个体对空间关系的判断,具体来说是"道德是上"的隐喻会导致空间关系判断产生"向上"的偏移效应;而"不道德是下"的隐喻则会导致空间关系判断产生"向下"的偏移效应。     

空间语言标记影响亲属关系的容器隐喻

通过3个实验,考察空间语言标记——"内/外"对汉语亲属词语义加工中亲属关系性质容器隐喻的影响。实验1同时呈现词和圆圈,发现语言标记影响亲属词语义加工中的亲属关系性质容器隐喻,有"外"标记的血亲词出现在圈外比出现在圈内反应更快,有"内"标记的姻亲词出现在圈内比出现在圈外错误率更低。实验2先呈现亲属词再呈现圆圈,发现语言标记影响亲属关系性质向容器概念的激活,有"外"标记的血亲词和有"内"标记的姻亲词在字母呈现在容器内外时的反应时差异与无"外"标记的血亲词和无"内"标记的姻亲词相反。实验3先呈现圆圈再呈现亲属词,发现有语言标记的亲属词在空间位置与语言标记一致时反应时更短、错误率更高,说明"内–外"意象图式对亲属词判断的影响主要源于语言标记。整个研究表明,与亲属关系性质容器隐喻不一致的空间语言标记干扰汉语亲属词的语义加工,空间语言标记的作用比亲属关系性质容器隐喻更强。在汉语亲属词的语义加工中存在着序列分解的加工方式,被试先加工首字,再加工整词。汉语亲属词的语义加工中包含着语义加工与具身经验激活的相互作用。     

从具身视角看道德判断

道德判断是个体对于某类行为的善恶好坏和是非对错所进行的评价及判断。随着具身认知理论的兴起, 道德判断的具身研究随之展开。道德判断具身性的研究主要围绕身体清洁、厌恶, 身体温度及身体动作这3个维度展开。从皮亚杰及维果茨基的心理发展观, 概念隐喻理论和进化心理学3个角度对道德判断具身效应进行了理论解释和探讨。考虑到身体变量会通过情绪、认知因素进而影响道德判断, 今后具身认知视角下的道德判断应与道德判断中已有的理论进行整合, 同时对其与道德直觉的关系需要深入探讨, 并需进一步考察具身效应发生的时效性和动态性问题, 探讨道德判断具身效应的调节变量及个体差异, 同时要对道德判断具身效应进行跨文化比较。     

手语词识别的影响因素探讨——手语词的两个网络系统及其交互作用

采用真假词判断任务考察影响手语词识别的因素,探讨词汇网络系统和语义网络系统的变量在手语词识别中的作用及其交互作用。结果表明,在手语词识别中,既存在着熟悉性效应、复杂度效应、象似性效应和具体性效应,又存在着熟悉性与象似性、具体性的交互作用。这表明,手语词识别既涉及词汇网络系统的变量,又涉及语义网络系统的变量,既包含着由"形"至义的数据驱动加工,又包含着由义至"形"的概念驱动加工。手语词识别与书面语词识别具有共性。研究还表明,形象性影响聋人对手语词的识别。     

The linguistic and embodied nature of conceptual processing

Recent theories of cognition have argued that embodied experience is important for conceptual processing. Embodiment can be contrasted with linguistic factors such as the typical order in which words appear in language. Here, we report four experiments that investigated the conditions under which embodiment and linguistic factors determine performance. Participants made speeded judgments about whether pairs of words or pictures were semantically related or had an iconic relationship. The embodiment factor was operationalized as the degree to which stimulus pairs were presented in the spatial configurations in which they usually occur (i.e., an iconic configuration, e.g., attic presented above basement). The linguistic factor was operationalized as the frequency of the stimulus pairs in language. The embodiment factor predicted error rates and response time better for pictures, whereas the linguistic factor predicted error rates and response time better for words. These findings were modified by task, with the embodiment factor being strongest in iconicity judgments for pictures and the linguistic factor being strongest in semantic judgments for words. Both factors predicted error rates and response time for both semantic and iconicity judgments. These findings support the view that conceptual processing is both linguistic and embodied, with a bias for the embodiment or the linguistic factor depending on the nature of the task and the stimuli.     

Embodied relations are encoded in language

Studies of embodied cognition have shown that comprehenders process iconic word pairs (attic-basement) more quickly than reverse-iconic pairs (basement-attic) when the pairs are presented to them in a vertical spatial arrangement. This effect disappears in a horizontal spatial arrangement. This has been claimed to show that comprehenders perceptually simulate these word pairs. A complementary explanation is that linguistic conceptualizations (word order) reflect prelinguistic conceptualizations (spatial iconicity), whereby comprehenders use these linguistic conceptualizations in the comprehension process. The results of corpus linguistic, rating, and semantic judgment studies reported here supported this explanation: Iconic word pairs were more frequent than reverse-iconic word pairs; frequency of word order explained response times in a semantic judgment task better than iconicity did; and when iconic word pairs were presented in a horizontal arrangement, the iconicity effect disappeared, but the word order effect remained. These findings show that spatial iconicity patterns are reflected in word order patterns and that comprehenders are sensitive to these word order patterns in language-processing tasks.     

Spatial iconicity affects semantic relatedness judgments

Three experiments were conducted to examine whether spatial iconicity affects semantic-relatedness judgments. Subjects made speeded decisions with regard to whether members of a simultaneously presented word pair were semantically related. In Experiment 1, the words were presented one above the other. In the experimental pair, the words denoted parts of larger objects (e.g., ATTIC-BASEMENT). The words were either in an iconic relation with their referents (e.g., ATTIC presented above BASEMENT) or in a reverse-iconic relation (BASEMENT above ATTIC). The reverse-iconic condition yielded significantly slower semantic-relatedness judgments than did the iconic condition. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that this effect did not occur when the words were presented horizontally, thus ruling out that the iconicity effect is due to the order in which the words are read. Two alternative explanations for this finding are discussed.     

物体的空间关系对语义相关判断的影响

采取快速语义判断任务探讨物体空间关系对语义相关判断的影响。实验1考察词对呈现方式与其指称物空间次序经验的关系对语义相关判断的影响。结果表明,词对呈现位置与其指称物的一般空间次序经验一致时语义判断快。实验2探讨词对呈现方式与其指称物构成方式的关系对语义相关判断的影响。结果表明,词对呈现方式与其指称物的构成方式一致时语义判断快。研究结果支持了知觉符号理论。     

The relation between body semantics and spatial body representations

The present study addressed the relation between body semantics (i.e. semantic knowledge about the human body) and spatial body representations, by presenting participants with word pairs, one below the other, referring to body parts. The spatial position of the word pairs could be congruent (e.g. EYE / MOUTH) or incongruent (MOUTH / EYE) with respect to the spatial position of the words’ referents. In addition, the spatial distance between the words’ referents was varied, resulting in word pairs referring to body parts that are close (e.g. EYE / MOUTH) or far in space (e.g. EYE / FOOT). A spatial congruency effect was observed when subjects made an iconicity judgment (Experiments 2 and 3) but not when making a semantic relatedness judgment (Experiment 1). In addition, when making a semantic relatedness judgment (Experiment 1) reaction times increased with increased distance between the body parts but when making an iconicity judgment (Experiments 2 and 3) reaction times decreased with increased distance. These findings suggest that the processing of body-semantics results in the activation of a detailed visuo-spatial body representation that is modulated by the specific task requirements. We discuss these new data with respect to theories of embodied cognition and body semantics.     

语义表征具身理论:情绪在概念表征中的作用

概念如何被表征是认知科学的热点问题,其中抽象概念如何表征是当前具身认知最具争议性的话题之一。与前期概念隐喻理论(强调意象图式)和知觉符号理论(强调情境内省信息)的观点不同,语义表征具身理论强调情绪经验信息在抽象概念表征和加工中的作用。具体而言,具体概念的表征主要来自感觉运动信息,而抽象概念的表征主要来自情绪经验信息和语言信息。研究证明,抽象概念的高情绪经验信息能够促进词汇的加工,且这一促进作用受词汇情绪效价的调节。未来研究应进一步考虑影响情绪经验信息发挥作用的因素,比如语言信息的丰富性、情绪唤醒或个体的情绪状态等。     

Testing the theory of embodied cognition with subliminal words

In the current study, we tested the embodied cognition theory (ECT). The ECT postulates mandatory sensorimotor processing of words when accessing their meaning. We test that prediction by investigating whether invisible (i.e., subliminal) spatial words activate responses based on their long-term and short-term meaning. Masking of the words is used to prevent word visibility and intentional elaboration of the words’ semantic content. In this way, masking specifically isolates mandatory sensorimotor processing of words as predicted by the ECT. Do spatial subliminal words activate responses nonetheless? In Experiment 1, we demonstrate a spatial congruence effect of the invisible words if they precede visible target words. In Experiment 2, we show that masked words activate responses based on their long-term meaning. In Experiment 3, we demonstrate that masked words are also processed according to their short-term response meaning. We conclude that the ECT is supported by our findings and discuss implications of our results for embodied theories of semantic word processing and masked priming experiments.     

Iconicity in the speech of children and adults

Iconicity – the correspondence between form and meaning – may help young children learn to use new words. Early‐learned words are higher in iconicity than later learned words. However, it remains unclear what role iconicity may play in actual language use. Here, we ask whether iconicity relates not just to the age at which words are acquired, but also to how frequently children and adults use the words in their speech. If iconicity serves to bootstrap word learning, then we would expect that children should say highly iconic words more frequently than less iconic words, especially early in development. We would also expect adults to use iconic words more often when speaking to children than to other adults. We examined the relationship between frequency and iconicity for approximately 2000 English words. Replicating previous findings, we found that more iconic words are learned earlier. Moreover, we found that more iconic words tend to be used more by younger children, and adults use more iconic words when speaking to children than to other adults. Together, our results show that young children not only learn words rated high in iconicity earlier than words low in iconicity, but they also produce these words more frequently in conversation – a pattern that is reciprocated by adults when speaking with children. Thus, the earliest conversations of children are relatively higher in iconicity, suggesting that this iconicity scaffolds the production and comprehension of spoken language during early development.     

象似性和手语学习经验对中国手语-汉语跨模态语义启动效应的影响

采用启动条件下的词汇判断任务,考察熟练手语使用者和无手语经验成年听人的跨模态语义启动效应。结果发现：1)在象似词条件下,两组被试判断汉语语义相关词的反应时均快于语义无关词,说明手语象似词和汉语词之间存在跨模态语义启动效应。2)在非象似词条件下,仅手语熟练被试判断汉语语义相关词的反应时快于语义无关词,无手语经验被试判断汉语语义相关词和无关词的速度没有差异。这是由于前者心理词库中的手语词和口语词共享语义表征,而后者主要依赖手语象似词的视觉模拟性。整个研究表明,中国手语和汉语间存在跨模态语义启动效应,但该效应受到手语词象似性和手语学习经历的调节。     

Are number gestures easier than number words for preschoolers?

Some researchers have argued that children's earliest symbols are based on their sensorimotor experience and that arbitrary symbol-referent mapping poses a challenge for them. If so, exposure to iconic symbols (such as one-finger-for-one-object manual gestures) might help children in a difficult domain such as number. We assessed 44 preschoolers’ processing of number gestures and number words on two tasks: give-a-number and how-many. Children were generally more accurate when mapping number words than number gestures onto a number of toys, suggesting that the iconicity of number gestures does not help children map symbols to numbers. We argue that children learn number gestures as arbitrary symbols and do not take advantage of their iconicity.