Size Does Matter: Implied Object Size is Mentally Simulated During Language Comprehension

Koning, Björn B. de; Wassenburg, S.I.; Bos, L.T.; Schoot, M. van der

doi:10.1080/0163853x.2015.1119604

Cited by 58 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…We can observe that orientation RTs in our sample with L2 speakers are not much higher than those in previous studies with L1 speakers. In contrast, we see that size RTs in our sample with L2 speakers are higher than those of L1 speakers in previous studies but comparable to those of L1 speaking children (Koning et al, 2016). Also note that RTs for object size are generally higher than RTs for object orientation.…”

Section: Comparison With Previous Studiescontrasting

confidence: 68%

“…Our results do support the hypothesis that Spanish augmentatives lead to simulation of object size. This adds to evidence in favor of implied size simulation (Koning et al, 2016(Koning et al, , 2017. Note that we used screen size as the referent in the present study, whereas in previous studies another object (e.g., table) was used as the referent to determine size.…”

Section: Language-specific Forms and Simulationmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…For size, 4.4% of the data for L1 speakers and 12.5% for L2 speakers was removed. This enabled a comparison with Rommers et al (2013), Koning et al (2016) and Koning et al (2017). See Table 3 for results.…”

Section: Comparison With Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This process involves a reactivation of neural states with information about our experiences with cups in the real world (e.g., their shape, size, color and position) and is referred to as mental simulation. Empirical work has supported the idea that native speakers (L1) make simulations of intrinsic object properties, such as shape (Zwaan, Stanfield & Yaxley, 2002;Zwaan & Pecher, 2012), color (Connell, 2005(Connell, , 2007Zwaan & Pecher, 2012;Hoebaert Mannen, Dijkstra & Zwaan, 2017) and size (Koning et al, 2016;Koning et al, 2017). Empirical results for orientation, an extrinsic property, either support (Stanfield & Zwaan, 2001; Zwaan and Pecher, 2012) or do not support simulation (Rommers et al, 2013;Koning et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In these studies participants read sentences such as "She looked at the bone of a dinosaur". Subsequently they see a bone that matches (large) or mismatches (small) the object size implied by the sentence (Koning et al, 2016). They are asked whether the depicted object was mentioned in the preceding sentence or not (see Figure 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mental simulation of object orientation and size: A conceptual replication with second language learners

Koster¹,

Cadierno²,

Chiarandini

2018

JESLA

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Previous research suggests that native (L1) speakers employ "mental simulations" for language comprehension. Empirical work shows that intrinsic object properties (shape, size and color) are indeed simulated, but the evidence for extrinsic properties (orientation) is less convincing. There is little work on simulation in second language (L2) learners, but since they have similar perceptual experiences as L1 speakers there is good reason to think that L2 learners too use simulation to comprehend L2 sentences. This paper aims to conceptually replicate previous simulation studies into object size and orientation with L2 learners (N = 223) and two L1 speaker control groups (N = 64). An important difference with previous work is that we use language-specific forms indicating size (Spanish augmentative suffixes) and orientation (German placement verbs). We expected that language-specific forms would cause simulation for both the intrinsic and extrinsic property under investigation. We employed a sentence-picture verification task and analyzed Yes/No responses and reaction times (RTs). RT results on mis/match trials reveal no orientation effect, but a size match effect. Findings support previous research with null results for orientation and add support for size simulation. We suggest that future studies examine whether L2 learners make simulations for both implied and explicit sentences, whether they simulate with or without prior language instruction and whether they also simulate shape and color.

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Section: Comparison With Previous Studiescontrasting

confidence: 68%

Section: Language-specific Forms and Simulationmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Comparison With Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Mental simulation of object orientation and size: A conceptual replication with second language learners

Koster¹,

Cadierno²,

Chiarandini

2018

JESLA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Modal and amodal cognition: an overarching principle in various domains of psychology

Kaup,

Ulrich,

Bausenhart

et al. 2023

Psychological Research

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Accounting for how the human mind represents the internal and external world is a crucial feature of many theories of human cognition. Central to this question is the distinction between modal as opposed to amodal representational formats. It has often been assumed that one but not both of these two types of representations underlie processing in specific domains of cognition (e.g., perception, mental imagery, and language). However, in this paper, we suggest that both formats play a major role in most cognitive domains. We believe that a comprehensive theory of cognition requires a solid understanding of these representational formats and their functional roles within and across different domains of cognition, the developmental trajectory of these representational formats, and their role in dysfunctional behavior. Here we sketch such an overarching perspective that brings together research from diverse subdisciplines of psychology on modal and amodal representational formats so as to unravel their functional principles and their interactions.

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Effects of a Reading Strategy Training Aimed at Improving Mental Simulation in Primary School Children

et al. 2016

Self Cite

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This study investigated the effects of a mental simulation training targeted at improving children's reading comprehension. In a 4-week period, one group of third and fourth graders (n = 75) learned to draw upon their sensorimotor memories and experiences to mentally simulate text (experimental training group), whereas another group (n = 51) received the schools' regular reading comprehension instructions (control training group). Pre-toposttest differences in general reading comprehension, reading motivation, and mental simulation (distinguishing between perceptual and motor simulation) were examined to evaluate the trainings' effectiveness. Compared to the control group, children who had received the mental simulation training showed improved performance on general reading comprehension (in Grade 3) and scored higher on reading motivation (in Grades 3 and 4). There were no performance differences between groups on the mental simulation measures. These findings indicate that it is beneficial for children to encourage and teach them to connect their sensorimotor experiences to the text they are reading.

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Size Does Matter: Implied Object Size is Mentally Simulated During Language Comprehension

Cited by 58 publications

References 41 publications

Mental simulation of object orientation and size: A conceptual replication with second language learners

Mental simulation of object orientation and size: A conceptual replication with second language learners

Modal and amodal cognition: an overarching principle in various domains of psychology

Effects of a Reading Strategy Training Aimed at Improving Mental Simulation in Primary School Children

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