Language concatenates perceptual features into representations during comprehension

ElsevierVolume 127, December 2022, 104355Journal of Memory and LanguageHighlights•

We observe evidence for disjunctive perceptual representations when participants represent feature combinations simultaneously.

We observe evidence for conjunctive perceptual representations when participants represent feature combinations sequentially.

The generation of conjunctive representations during comprehension depends on the concatenation of linguistic cues.

The construction of elaborate perceptual representations may critically depend on language.

Abstract

Although many studies have investigated the activation of perceptual representations during language comprehension, to our knowledge only one previous study has directly tested how perceptual features are combined into representations during comprehension. In their classic study, Potter and Faulconer [(1979). Understanding noun phrases. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 18, 509–521.] investigated the perceptual representation of adjective-noun combinations. However, their non-orthogonal design did not allow the differentiation between conjunctive vs. disjunctive representations. Using randomized orthogonal designs, we observe evidence for disjunctive perceptual representations when participants represent feature combinations simultaneously (in several experiments; N = 469), and we observe evidence for conjunctive perceptual representations when participants represent feature combinations sequentially (In several experiments; N = 628). Our findings show that the generation of conjunctive representations during comprehension depends on the concatenation of linguistic cues, and thus suggest the construction of elaborate perceptual representations may critically depend on language.

Keywords

Language

Comprehension

Perception

Conjunction

Simulation

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.

留言 (0)

沒有登入
gif