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Understanding the meaning of words and sentences: The role of non-linguistic processes
Acta Psychologica 156 (2015) 97
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Acta Psychologica journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/ locate/actpsy
Understanding the meaning of words and sentences: The role of non-linguistic processes
How do people understand simple words and sentences? Traditional theories of language comprehension assume that language processing is based on the mental manipulation of arbitrary, amodal symbols that evolved within the cognitive system independently from nonlinguistic processes (e.g., Kintsch & van Dijk, 1978; McKoon & Ratcliff, 1992). Therefore it has been believed that this module can be investigated separately from non-linguistic cognition (e.g., attention, perception and motor control). In recent years, research within the framework of Grounded Cognition has challenged this view (Barsalou, 2010; Zwaan, 2004). This framework emphasizes the contribution of non-linguistic processes to language and thought. As a result, it is now widely believed within psychology and the cognitive neurosciences that basic cognitive functions (e.g., perception and motor processing) play an essential role in the processing of linguistic information and thus in the comprehension of words and sentences. Although this framework of Grounded Cognition emphasizes the contribution of non-linguistic processes to linguistic processes, the role of the non-linguistic processes in the understanding of words and sentences is still poorly understood. This special issue originated from a workshop held at the Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen. The purpose of this workshop was to bring together scientists from the domain of linguistic cognition and the domain of non-linguistic cognition. Specifically, the meeting focused on the following two questions: (1) What is the potential role of non-linguistic cognition in language comprehension? (2) How can the domain of linguistic cognition possibly benefit from research, methods, and theories in non-linguistic cognition? Researchers from the domains of linguistic and non-linguistic cognition were therefore invited to share their perspectives on these questions of significant current interest. The articles in this special issue originated from the contributions and discussions in this workshop.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2015.02.016
Acknowledgments This workshop was supported by the German Research Foundation (SFB 833, Meaning Construction). We would like to thank all the speakers and researchers that participated in the workshop “Understanding the meaning of words and sentences: The role of nonlinguistic processes” taking place on 16th to 19th September, 2012 at the University of Tübingen, Germany. The workshop was organized in cooperation with the collaborative research center SFB 833 and the Forum Scientiarum. References Barsalou, L. W. (2010). Grounded cognition: Past, present, and future. Topics in Cognitive Science, 2, 716–724. Kintsch, W., & van Dijk, T. A. (1978). Toward a model of text comprehension and reproduction. Psychological Review, 85, 363–394. McKoon, G., & Ratcliff, R. (1992). Inference during reading. Psychological Review, 99, 440–466. Zwaan, R. A. (2004). The immersed experiencer: Toward an embodied theory of language comprehension. The psychology of learning and motivation. In B. H. Ross (Ed.), Vol. 44. (pp. 35–62). New York: Academic Press.
Rolf Ulrich Claudia Maienborn Barbara Kaup Departments of Psychology and German Linguistics, University of Tübingen, Germany
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Acta Psychologica journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/ locate/actpsy
Understanding the meaning of words and sentences: The role of non-linguistic processes
How do people understand simple words and sentences? Traditional theories of language comprehension assume that language processing is based on the mental manipulation of arbitrary, amodal symbols that evolved within the cognitive system independently from nonlinguistic processes (e.g., Kintsch & van Dijk, 1978; McKoon & Ratcliff, 1992). Therefore it has been believed that this module can be investigated separately from non-linguistic cognition (e.g., attention, perception and motor control). In recent years, research within the framework of Grounded Cognition has challenged this view (Barsalou, 2010; Zwaan, 2004). This framework emphasizes the contribution of non-linguistic processes to language and thought. As a result, it is now widely believed within psychology and the cognitive neurosciences that basic cognitive functions (e.g., perception and motor processing) play an essential role in the processing of linguistic information and thus in the comprehension of words and sentences. Although this framework of Grounded Cognition emphasizes the contribution of non-linguistic processes to linguistic processes, the role of the non-linguistic processes in the understanding of words and sentences is still poorly understood. This special issue originated from a workshop held at the Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen. The purpose of this workshop was to bring together scientists from the domain of linguistic cognition and the domain of non-linguistic cognition. Specifically, the meeting focused on the following two questions: (1) What is the potential role of non-linguistic cognition in language comprehension? (2) How can the domain of linguistic cognition possibly benefit from research, methods, and theories in non-linguistic cognition? Researchers from the domains of linguistic and non-linguistic cognition were therefore invited to share their perspectives on these questions of significant current interest. The articles in this special issue originated from the contributions and discussions in this workshop.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2015.02.016
Acknowledgments This workshop was supported by the German Research Foundation (SFB 833, Meaning Construction). We would like to thank all the speakers and researchers that participated in the workshop “Understanding the meaning of words and sentences: The role of nonlinguistic processes” taking place on 16th to 19th September, 2012 at the University of Tübingen, Germany. The workshop was organized in cooperation with the collaborative research center SFB 833 and the Forum Scientiarum. References Barsalou, L. W. (2010). Grounded cognition: Past, present, and future. Topics in Cognitive Science, 2, 716–724. Kintsch, W., & van Dijk, T. A. (1978). Toward a model of text comprehension and reproduction. Psychological Review, 85, 363–394. McKoon, G., & Ratcliff, R. (1992). Inference during reading. Psychological Review, 99, 440–466. Zwaan, R. A. (2004). The immersed experiencer: Toward an embodied theory of language comprehension. The psychology of learning and motivation. In B. H. Ross (Ed.), Vol. 44. (pp. 35–62). New York: Academic Press.
Rolf Ulrich Claudia Maienborn Barbara Kaup Departments of Psychology and German Linguistics, University of Tübingen, Germany