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Imageability and semantic association in the representation and processing of event verbs

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Abstract

This study examined the relative salience of imageability (the degree to which a word evokes mental imagery) versus semantic association (the density of semantic network in which a word is embedded) in the representation and processing of four types of event verbs: sensory, cognitive, speech, and motor verbs. ERP responses were recorded, while 34 university students performed on a lexical decision task. Analysis focused primarily on amplitude differences across verb conditions within the N400 time window where activities are considered representing meaning activation. Variation in N400 amplitude across four types of verbs was found significantly associated with the level of imageability, but not the level of semantic association. The findings suggest imageability as a more salient factor relative to semantic association in the processing of these verbs. The role of semantic association and the representation of speech verbs are also discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State University - Harrisburg, Middletown, PA, 17057, USA

    Xu Xu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Chunyan Kang & Taomei Guo

  3. Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Taomei Guo

Authors
  1. Xu Xu
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  2. Chunyan Kang
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  3. Taomei Guo
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Correspondence to Xu Xu.

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Handling Editor: Michael Spivey, University of California, Merced, USA.

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Xu, X., Kang, C. & Guo, T. Imageability and semantic association in the representation and processing of event verbs. Cogn Process 17, 175–184 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-015-0747-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-015-0747-0

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