Abstract
The neurotypical brain is characterized by left hemisphere lateralization for most language processing. However, the right hemisphere plays a crucial part when it is required to bring together seemingly unrelated concepts into meaningful expressions, such as in the case of novel metaphors (unfamiliar figurative expressions). The aim of the current study was to test whether it is possible to enhance novel metaphor comprehension through an easy, efficient, and non-invasive method – intentional contraction of the left hand’s muscles, to activate the motor and sensory areas in the contralateral hemisphere. One hundred eighteen neurotypical participants were asked to perform a semantic judgment task involving two-word expressions of four types: literal, conventional metaphors, novel metaphors, or unrelated, while squeezing a rubber ball with their right hand, left hand, or not at all. Results demonstrated that left-hand contraction improved novel metaphor comprehension, as participants were more accurate and quicker in judging them to be meaningful. The findings of the present work provide a simple and efficient method for boosting right hemisphere activation, which can be used to improve metaphoric language comprehension. This method can aid several populations in which right hemisphere function is not fully established, and who struggle with processing figurative language, such as adolescents and individuals on the autistic spectrum.
Highlights
It has long been established that there is a left-hemisphere (LH) bias in most language-related functions (Beeman, 1993, 2005; Fiore and Schooler, 1998; Josse and Tzourio-Mazoyer, 2004)
In line with previous findings, this study found that the intentional activation of the right hemisphere (RH), by contracting the left hand, resulted in better performance in a novel metaphors (NM) comprehension task
Participants who had squeezed the ball with their left-hand judged NM to be meaningful far better than those who had used their right-hand, or had not squeezed the ball at all
Summary
It has long been established that there is a left-hemisphere (LH) bias in most language-related functions (Beeman, 1993, 2005; Fiore and Schooler, 1998; Josse and Tzourio-Mazoyer, 2004). When exposed to a word, the LH activates broad semantic associations; it quickly suppresses and constrains any associations that are subordinate or irrelevant to the context, or remote. This characteristic of the LH is called fine-semantic coding (Beeman et al, 1994). The LH is sufficient for most basic language processing, the right hemisphere (RH) plays an important role in comprehending language (Beeman et al, 1994).
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