Grounding Language in Action

Kristína Rebrová[Grounded Cognition 2012]

Kristína Rebrová [Grounded Cognition 2012] Grounding Language in Action

Motor Resonance and Language

language of action evokes motor resonance

evidence:

neural: cognitive neuropsychologybehavioral: psycholinguistics (interference e�ects)

Kristína Rebrová [Grounded Cognition 2012] Grounding Language in Action

Neural Evidence: Pulvermueler (2005)

Pulvermueler et al. (2001): hearing/reading action verbsproduces somatotopic activation in the primary motor cortex

EEG study, movement vs. lexical decision task

kick (leg), pick (arm), lick (face)

Kristína Rebrová [Grounded Cognition 2012] Grounding Language in Action

Neural Evidence: Pulvermueler (2005)

Hauk et al. (2004): fMRI study, movement vs. passive reading

Kristína Rebrová [Grounded Cognition 2012] Grounding Language in Action

Neural Evidence: Pulvermueler (2005)

Pulvermueler et al. (2005): TMS study, movement vs. passivereading

Kristína Rebrová [Grounded Cognition 2012] Grounding Language in Action

Behavioral Evidence: Indexical Hypothesis of Meaning

meaning based on action (and a�ordances)

transformation of language to meaning in 3 steps:1 words => perceptual symbols2 perceptual symbols => a�ordances3 a�ordances ++ syntactic construction => action: (un)doable

= (mis)understood4 grammatical form: order of simulation, how to combine

a�ordances

language is made meaningful by cognitively simulating theactions implied by sentences

Kristína Rebrová [Grounded Cognition 2012] Grounding Language in Action

Behavioral Evidence: Action-Sentence Compatibility E�ect

Glenberg and Kashak (2002): comprehending a sentence thatimplies action in one direction interferes with real action in theopposite direction

Movement from and towards the body: when incongruent withthe sentence movement reaction time is longer

Task: sensical and nonsensical sentences, button Y/N nearand far from the body

John gave you a pizza. You gave a pizza to John.

Also with abstract transfer sentences (Glenberg et al., 2008)

Mary told you a story. You told a story to Mary.

Kristína Rebrová [Grounded Cognition 2012] Grounding Language in Action

Behavioral Evidence: Action-Sentence Compatibility E�ect

Zwaan and Taylor (2006)

same principle as Glenberg and Kaschak

rotation movement to both sides

John increased the speakers volume. Mary opened a jar of

pickles.

Kristína Rebrová [Grounded Cognition 2012] Grounding Language in Action

The End

Thank you for your attention

kristina.rebrova@gmail.com

Kristína Rebrová [Grounded Cognition 2012] Grounding Language in Action