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What is left and what is right? Spatial position as a context for conceptual processing

Mirjana Tonković orcid.org/0000-0002-9145-175X ; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Zagreb

Sažetak

Abstract concepts are often described in terms of spatial dimensions. For example, time is represented on ahorizontal line with past on the left, and future on the right. Mental number line goes form left to the right. Somestudies indicate that a horizontal axis is also used to describe power and affect. Theories of grounded cognitionassume that metaphors describe the way in which concepts are represented in memory. In the first experiment weexplored influence of spatial position of different word categories on speed in semantic decision task. Pairs of wordswere presented on a horizontal line one next to the other. Participants were faster to respond to pairs of words relatedto quantities when small quantities were presented on the left and large on the right. Second experiment examinedinfluence of spatial position on speed of detection of a neutral object after presentation of words from differentcategories. Participants were slower to identify an object that appeared in the position congruent with the metaphoricalrepresentation of previously presented word from categories of time and quantities. Results support the idea ofperceptual processes being active during processing of concepts related to time and quantities.

Ključne riječi

mental representations; spatial positions; grounded cognition; abstract concepts

Hrčak ID:

116338

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/116338

Datum izdavanja:

28.12.2013.

Posjeta: 1.637 *