Publication
Multimodal grounding of abstract concepts: big & loud= powerful?
| Summary: | The present study explores the hypothesis that the mental representations of abstract concepts are grounded in concrete (physical) dimensions and are multimodal. Earlier studies in the framework of embodiment and conceptual metaphor suggested that the concept of power is grounded in physical size, such that big = powerful and small = powerless. In the present study, we examined if the abstract concept of power is grounded in physical size and auditory volume. Participants decided whether social groups are powerful or powerless; the group labels were presented visually, once in a big and once small font, and auditorily, once in a high and once in a low volume. Repeated measures analysis revealed that powerful words were identified more rapidly when presented in a big font or in a high volume, and powerless words when presented in a small font or in a low volume, but not all the findings were significant. Additionally, response times were predicted by item power (powerful faster) and modality (visual faster). The compatibility of the results with the hypotheses and a possible alternative explanation are discussed; item selection is considered to be the major limitation of the study. |
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| Main Authors: | Ochmann, Ewa Anna |
| Subject: | Situated cognition Embodiment Power Visual modality Auditory modality Cognição situada Corporalização Poder visão Audição |
| Year: | 2012 |
| Country: | Portugal |
| Document type: | master thesis |
| Access type: | restricted access |
| Associated institution: | ISCTE |
| Language: | English |
| Origin: | Repositório ISCTE |
| Summary: | The present study explores the hypothesis that the mental representations of abstract concepts are grounded in concrete (physical) dimensions and are multimodal. Earlier studies in the framework of embodiment and conceptual metaphor suggested that the concept of power is grounded in physical size, such that big = powerful and small = powerless. In the present study, we examined if the abstract concept of power is grounded in physical size and auditory volume. Participants decided whether social groups are powerful or powerless; the group labels were presented visually, once in a big and once small font, and auditorily, once in a high and once in a low volume. Repeated measures analysis revealed that powerful words were identified more rapidly when presented in a big font or in a high volume, and powerless words when presented in a small font or in a low volume, but not all the findings were significant. Additionally, response times were predicted by item power (powerful faster) and modality (visual faster). The compatibility of the results with the hypotheses and a possible alternative explanation are discussed; item selection is considered to be the major limitation of the study. |
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