The (lack of) effect of dynamic visual noise on the concreteness effect in short-term memory

It has been suggested that the concreteness effect in short-term memory (STM) is a consequence of concrete words having more distinctive and richer semantic representations. The generation and storage of visual codes in STM could also play a crucial role on the effect because concrete words are more imaginable than abstract words. If this were the case, the introduction of a visual interference task would be expected to disrupt recall of concrete words. A Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) display, which has been proven to eliminate the concreteness effect on long-term memory (LTM), was presented along encoding of concrete and abstract words in a STM serial recall task. Results showed a main effect of word type, with more item errors in abstract words, a main effect of DVN, which impaired global performance due to more order errors, but no interaction, suggesting that DVN did not have any impact on the concreteness effect. These findings are discussed in terms of LTM participation through redintegration processes and in terms of the language-based models of verbal STM.     

The meaning of ‘life’ and other abstract words: Insights from neuropsychology

There are a number of long‐standing theories on how the cognitive processing of abstract words, like ‘life’, differs from that of concrete words, like ‘knife’. This review considers current perspectives on this debate, focusing particularly on insights obtained from patients with language disorders and integrating these with evidence from functional neuroimaging studies. The evidence supports three distinct and mutually compatible hypotheses. (1) Concrete and abstract words differ in their representational substrates, with concrete words depending particularly on sensory experiences and abstract words on linguistic, emotional, and magnitude‐based information. Differential dependence on visual versus verbal experience is supported by the evidence for graded specialization in the anterior temporal lobes for concrete versus abstract words. In addition, concrete words have richer representations, in line with better processing of these words in most aphasic patients and, in particular, patients with semantic dementia. (2) Abstract words place greater demands on executive regulation processes because they have variable meanings that change with context. This theory explains abstract word impairments in patients with semantic‐executive deficits and is supported by neuroimaging studies showing greater response to abstract words in inferior prefrontal cortex. (3) The relationships between concrete words are governed primarily by conceptual similarity, while those of abstract words depend on association to a greater degree. This theory, based primarily on interference and priming effects in aphasic patients, is the most recent to emerge and the least well understood. I present analyses indicating that patterns of lexical co‐occurrence may be important in understanding these effects.     

映射具体性和语境线索对新颖隐喻加工的影响

研究旨在考察映射具体性对新颖隐喻加工的影响及语境线索的作用,并进一步探索映射具体性高的隐喻加工困难的原因。实验1的ERPs结果发现：知觉隐喻反应时显著长于物理-心理隐喻和直接语义;两类隐喻在有语境线索下的反应时显著长于无语境线索。有语境线索的知觉隐喻比无语境线索在前部位置诱发了更负的N400成分,在中部诱发了更正的LPC成分;有语境线索的物理-心理隐喻在前部、顶部比无语境线索诱发了更正LPC成分。实验2的语义判断任务结果发现：在映射具体性不同的两类隐喻中,多映射通路隐喻的反应时均显著长于单一映射通路隐喻。总体结果支持语境线索对新颖隐喻加工的干扰效应。     

中文双字词的具体性效应研究

通过词汇决定任务来考察中文双字词的具体性效应,并检验双重编码理论和语境有效性模型对具体性效应的预测。实验一在刺激单独呈现的条件下操纵词的频率,结果发现在低频的情况下对抽象词的判断时间显著长于具体词,但是在中频情况下没有显著差异;实验二用低频具体词和低频抽象词做重复启动实验,发现重复启动不能消除具体性效应;实验三为低频具体词和低频抽象词提供句子语境,结果发现在一致性句子语境条件下具体性效应消失。以上实验结果既不完全符合双重编码理论的预测,也不完全符合语境有效性模型的预测。     

言语-表象型认知风格与外显、内隐记忆的关系

研究探讨言语-表象维度认知风格对外昱、内隐记忆效果的影响。实验采用不同认知风格（言语型和表象型）的被试,以抽象名词和具体名词为测验材料,运用了Jacoby加工分离程序。结果发现：言语-表象维度认知风格对内隐记忆效果的影响与外显记忆不同。（1）表象型被试和言语型被试在识记抽象名词时外显记忆成绩差异显著;（2）言语型-表象型认知风格没有导致内隐记忆的个体差异。     

名词具体性效应的眼动研究

通两个实验考察名词的具体性效应.实验一采用词汇判断法,考察名词的具体性效应.采用2（具体性：具体、抽象）×2（词频：高频、低频）的两因素被试内实验设计.结果表明：低频词存在具体性效应.实验二应用眼动技术,以EyelinkⅡ眼动仪为工具,考察在句子阅读中的名词具体性效应.实验为单因素被试内设计,自变量为句子中目标词的具体性.结果表明：在句子语境条件下,低频词也存在具体性效应,而且这种效应表现在低频词的晚期加工阶段.     

词汇具体性对情绪名词效价加工影响的ERP研究

具体性和抽象性是词汇同一特性的两极, 是直接影响词汇加工过程的重要因素。本研究采用快速序列视觉呈现范式, 结合脑电技术探讨在有限注意资源内, 词汇具体性对情绪名词加工过程的影响。结果发现：名词加工早期和晚期阶段的ERP成分受到情绪效价的调节, 情绪词比中性词诱发了更大的N170和LPC波幅; 名词加工早期和晚期阶段的ERP成分也受到词汇具体性的调节, 具体词比抽象词诱发了更大的N170和LPC波幅; 词汇具体性影响情绪名词加工的晚期阶段, LPC波幅能够分辨出不同情绪效价的抽象词, 对于具体词仅能区分出情绪与非情绪, 这说明抽象词可能比具体词负载了更多的情绪信息, 反映出对情绪信息的精细加工过程。