Semantic size of abstract concepts: it gets emotional when you can't see it.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Yao B
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3783453 | biostudies-literature | 2013
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Semantic size of abstract concepts: it gets emotional when you can't see it.
Yao Bo B Vasiljevic Milica M Weick Mario M Sereno Margaret E ME O'Donnell Patrick J PJ Sereno Sara C SC
PloS one 20130925 9
Size is an important visuo-spatial characteristic of the physical world. In language processing, previous research has demonstrated a processing advantage for words denoting semantically "big" (e.g., jungle) versus "small" (e.g., needle) concrete objects. We investigated whether semantic size plays a role in the recognition of words expressing abstract concepts (e.g., truth). Semantically "big" and "small" concrete and abstract words were presented in a lexical decision task. Responses to "big" ...[more]
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