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Sensorimotor simulations underlie conceptual representations: Modality-specific effects of prior activation
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
Short Title: Sensorimotor simulations underlie conceptual representations
Format: Journal Article
Publication Year: n.d.
Pages: 164-167
Sources ID: 23031
Visibility: Private
Zotero Collections: Contexts of Contemplation Project
Abstract: (Show)
According to the perceptual symbols theory (Barsalou, 1999), sensorimotor simulations underlie the representation of concepts. Simulations are componential in the sense that they vary with the context in which the concept is presented. In the present study, we investigated whether representations are affected by recent experiences with a concept. Concept names (e.g., APPLE) were presented twice in a property verification task with a different property on each occasion. The two properties were either from the same perceptual modality (e.g.,green, shiny) or from different modalities (e.g.,tart, shiny). All stimuli were words. There was a lag of several intervening trials between the first and second presentation. Verification times and error rates for the second presentation of the concept were higher if the properties were from different modalities than if they were from the same modality.
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