The allocation of valenced concepts onto 3D space

Abstract

The valence-space metaphor research area investigates the metaphorical mapping of valenced concepts onto space. Research findings from this area indicate that positive, neutral, and negative concepts are associated with upward, midward, and downward locations, respectively, in the vertical plane. The same research area has also indicated that such concepts seem to have no preferential location on the horizontal plane. The approach-avoidance effect consists in decreasing the distance between positive stimuli and the body (i.e. approach) and increasing the distance between negative stimuli and the body (i.e. avoid). Thus, the valence-space metaphor accounts for the mapping of valenced concepts onto the vertical and horizontal planes, and the approach-avoidance effect accounts for the mapping of valenced concepts onto the "depth" plane. By using a cube conceived for the study of allocation of valenced concepts onto 3D space, we show in three studies that positive concepts are placed in upward locations and near the participants' body, negative concepts are placed in downward locations and far from the participants' body, and neutral concepts are placed in between these concepts in both planes.

The Allocation of Valenced Percepts Onto 3D Space

“…There is also evidence for associations between percepts and 2D space such that, for example, high-pitched sounds, which also have an associated positive valence, are mapped onto high spatial locations (Salgado-Montejo et al, 2016; but see Rusconi et al, 2006). By merging these results with those recently found by Marmolejo-Ramos et al (2018), we hypothesized that percepts are placed in 3D space in the same fashion as are valenced concepts. That is, positive percepts will be placed in high locations ( Y -axis) and near the participant’s body ( Z -axis), negative percepts will be placed in low locations and far from the participant’s body, and neutral percepts will be placed in between these percepts regarding both planes.…”

“…This sample size was suggested by a power analysis for a general linear model with five fixed predictors that, as a full model, explained at least 25% of the variance in the dependent variable under a 5% Type I error (α) and an 80% power. (For details regarding the power estimation, see Marmolejo-Ramos et al, 2018) None of the participants reported any known visual, tactile, olfactory, auditory, or related sensory impairment. Forty percent of the participants were non-native Swedish speakers who reported good-to-excellent command of the English language.…”

“…Recently, a study showed for the very first time how valenced concepts are placed onto 3D physical space. In that study, Marmolejo-Ramos et al (2018) crafted a specific device (“the cognition cube”) that enabled allocating items in space such that X , Y , and Z Cartesian coordinates could be estimated. These authors not only confirmed the mapping of valenced concepts onto the vertical plane, but also disconfirmed the effects of various factors, including valence, on the horizontal plane.…”

Moved by Emotions: Affective Concepts Representing Personal Life Events Induce Freely Performed Steps in Line With Combined Sagittal and Lateral Space-Valence Associations

“…Specifically, a novel free-choice directional-step paradigm was used in the present study. This paradigm was inspired by experimental findings indicating that: (a) people tend to freely assign positive and negative concepts such as "happiness" or "unfriendly" to the lateral or sagittal space in line with the mentioned space-valence associations (e.g., Freddi et al, 2016;Marmolejo-Ramos et al, 2018), (b) congruent manual responses have also been shown facilitated after processing affective concepts (rightward-positive and leftward-negative; Milhau et al, 2015 or forward-positive and backward-negative; Freina et al, 2009), and (c) emotional visual stimuli (e.g., pictures) presented in front of participants facilitate congruent approach-avoidance step actions (e.g., forward step-positive; backward step-negative; e.g., Stins and Beek, 2011). However, these findings are based on studies that typically address the lateral and sagittal spatial dimensions independently from each other.…”

“…There is experimental evidence supporting such associations. For example, akin to findings addressing the lateral (and vertical) space, it has been shown that when asked to freely choose a location within an empty cube positioned in front of them, participants tend to assign positive words (e.g., "open-minded") at closer areas with regard to their body and negative words (e.g., "insolent") at farther ones (Marmolejo-Ramos et al, 2018).…”