Understanding the Meanings of Abstract Concepts: Keeping it Grounded and Real

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atmire.migration.oldid5238
dc.contributor.advisorPexman, Penny
dc.contributor.authorZdrazilova, Lenka
dc.contributor.committeememberReilly, Jamie
dc.contributor.committeememberCurtin, Suzanne
dc.contributor.committeememberSears, Chris
dc.contributor.committeememberOxoby, Robert
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-06T16:46:50Z
dc.date.available2017-01-06T16:46:50Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.date.submitted2017en
dc.description.abstractAbstract words refer to things and entities in the world that cannot be directly experienced through our senses (e.g., truth, morality). How we learn, represent, and use abstract words is one of the deepest problems in cognitive science today. I investigated this question in two experiments. In Experiment 1, I examined the effects of six semantic richness variables (sensory experience, valence, number of associates, context availability, arousal, semantic neighbourhood, and number of associates) on lexical-semantic processing for 207 abstract nouns. Behavioural tasks were lexical decision (LDT) and semantic categorization (SCT). Results showed that participants were faster to respond in LDT to words high in context availability, and faster to respond in SCT to words high in valence and sensory experience. These results suggest that abstract meanings might be grounded in our experiences with situational contexts and our bodily experiences. To further assess the extent of grounding for abstract word meanings (Experiment 2), I tested thirty-one pairs of undergraduate students in a variation of the Taboo task, in which participants communicated the meaning of the “secret” word (10 concrete, e.g., insect; 20 abstract nouns, e.g., impulse) to a partner in 1 minute or less. Analysis of verbal and gestural data yielded a number of important insights. Most notably, on a majority of trials, participants activated their partner’s concept of self or other (“You”, “Dalai Lama”), then placed that self into a situational context (“in class”) and then described the mental states, feelings, goals, etc. the self may experience. This, together with the results of my quantitative data analyses, suggests extensive recruitment of information derived from our experiences with the social and physical world and that such information is an important aspect of what we know about abstract words.en_US
dc.identifier.citationZdrazilova, L. (2017). Understanding the Meanings of Abstract Concepts: Keeping it Grounded and Real (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28571en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/28571
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/3543
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectPsychology
dc.subject.otherLanguage processing
dc.subject.otherCognitive
dc.titleUnderstanding the Meanings of Abstract Concepts: Keeping it Grounded and Real
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplinePsychology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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