Abstract
Although researchers have repeatedly shown that the meaning of the same concept can vary across different contexts, it has proven difficult to predict when people will assign which meaning to a concept, and which associations will be activated by a concept. Building on the affective theory of meaning (Osgood, Suci, & Tannenbaum, 1957) and the polarity correspondence principle (Proctor & Cho, 2006), we propose the dimension-specificity hypothesis with the aim to understand and predict the context-dependency of cross-modal associations. We present three sets of experiments in which we use the dimension-specificity hypothesis to predict the cross-modal associations that should emerge between aggression-related concepts and saturation and brightness. The dimension-specificity hypothesis predicts that cross-modal associations emerge depending upon which affective dimension of meaning (i.e., the evaluation, activity, or potency dimension) is most salient in a specific context. The salience of dimensions of meaning is assumed to depend upon the relative conceptual distances between bipolar opposed concept pairs (e.g., good vs. bad). The dimension-specificity hypothesis proposes that plus and minus polarities will be attributed to the bipolar concepts, and associations between concrete and affective abstract concepts that share plus or minus polarities will become activated. Our data support the emergence of dimension-specific polarity attributions. We discuss the potential of dimension-specific polarity attributions to understand and predict how the context influences the emergence of cross-modal associations.
Highlights
Researchers have repeatedly shown that the meaning of the same concept can vary across different contexts, it has proven difficult to predict when people will assign which meaning to a concept, and which associations will be activated by a concept
Response latencies were shorter when the categories brighter and calm, and darker and aggressive shared the same response keys (M = 575 ms, SD = 74 ms) than when brighter and aggressive, and darker and calm shared the same response keys (M = 791 ms, SD = 161 ms), 95% CI = [–278.29, –153.65], JZS BF10 = 31674.37, t(20) = 7.23, p < .001, Hedges’ g = 1.66, 95% CI = [–2.42, –1.01]. These results support the idea that a cross-modal association emerged between brightness and calmness, and darkness and aggression
Response latencies were shorter when the categories aggressive and darker shared the same response key (M = 548 ms, SD = 62 ms) compared to when the categories aggressive and brighter shared the same response key (M = 730 ms, SD = 172 ms), 95% CI [138.1, 226.21], JZS BF10 = 56248620.08, t(42) = 8.34, p < .001, Hedges’ g = 1.39, 95% CI [0.96, 1.85]. These results support the idea that a cross-modal association emerged between brightness and calmness, and darkness and aggression, when brightness stimuli are presented on the screen
Summary
Researchers have repeatedly shown that the meaning of the same concept can vary across different contexts, it has proven difficult to predict when people will assign which meaning to a concept, and which associations will be activated by a concept. We discuss the potential of dimension-specific polarity attributions to understand and predict how the context influences the emergence of cross-modal associations. Similarity between concepts decreases exponentially as a function of the distance (Shepard, 1987), in such a way that concepts are perceived as more similar, when they are closer rather than distant in the multidimensional space Central to this multidimensional approach to conceptual space is the idea of polar opposition: Concepts can be expressed in terms of more or less of multiple underlying bipolar dimensions in a multi-dimensional space (e.g., good-bad, active-passive, see Kruschke, 1992; Osgood, Suci, & Tannenbaum, 1957). One way in which associations between concepts emerge is when both are attributed ‘more’ or ‘less’ of the bipolar dimension (e.g., Osgood et al, 1957)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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.
