Abstract
The neural correlates of visualization underlying word comprehension were examined in preschool children. On each trial, a concrete or abstract word was delivered binaurally (part 1: post-auditory visualization), followed by a four-picture array (a target plus three distractors; part 2: matching visualization). Children were to select the picture matching the word they heard in part 1. Event-related potentials (ERPs) locked to each stimulus presentation and task interval were averaged over sets of trials of increasing word abstractness. ERP time-course during both parts of the task showed that early activity (i.e., <300 ms) was predominant in response to concrete words, while activity in response to abstract words became evident only at intermediate (i.e., 300–699 ms) and late (i.e., 700–1000 ms) ERP intervals. Specifically, ERP topography showed that while early activity during post-auditory visualization was linked to left temporo-parietal areas for concrete words, early activity during matching visualization occurred mostly in occipito-parietal areas for concrete words, but more anteriorly in centro-parietal areas for abstract words. In intermediate ERPs, post-auditory visualization coincided with parieto-occipital and parieto-frontal activity in response to both concrete and abstract words, while in matching visualization a parieto-central activity was common to both types of words. In the late ERPs for both types of words, the post-auditory visualization involved right-hemispheric activity following a “post-anterior” pathway sequence: occipital, parietal, and temporal areas; conversely, matching visualization involved left-hemispheric activity following an “ant-posterior” pathway sequence: frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital areas. These results suggest that, similarly, for concrete and abstract words, meaning in young children depends on variably complex visualization processes integrating visuo-auditory experiences and supramodal embodying representations.
Highlights
Visualization and Abstract/Concrete Word Acquisition Understanding the way we mentally simulate the meaning of concrete and abstract words constitutes a critical test for the evaluation of theories according to which language is grounded in embodied cognition
Recall that Levels 5 and 6 were combined as there were no significant differences in Response times (RTs) between these conditions
Behavioral measures of performance and reaction times and patterns of Event-related potentials (ERPs) activity showed that children carried out the auditory and visual parts of the WVT in a similar way
Summary
Visualization and Abstract/Concrete Word Acquisition Understanding the way we mentally simulate the meaning of concrete and abstract words constitutes a critical test for the evaluation of theories according to which language is grounded in embodied cognition. These theories involve the interplay of perception, action, and Preschoolers’ visualization of words socio-emotional systems (Scorolli et al, 2011). Originated from a different stream of research within experimental cognitive psychology, the theoretical construct of visual mental imagery can be reformulated in terms of the newer embodied cognitive research field. We attempted to merge the classic neurophysiological approach to imagery with visualization as studied in the embodied cognition field
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
