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Motor activation in literal and non-literal sentences: does time matter?

Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2013-05, Vol.7, p.202-202 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

2013. This work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License. ;Copyright © 2013 Cacciari and Pesciarelli. 2013 ;ISSN: 1662-5161 ;EISSN: 1662-5161 ;DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00202 ;PMID: 23730278

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  • Title:
    Motor activation in literal and non-literal sentences: does time matter?
  • Author: Cacciari, Cristina ; Pesciarelli, Francesca
  • Subjects: abstract meaning ; Cognition & reasoning ; Feet ; Language ; Linguistics ; motion verbs ; motor activation ; Neural networks ; Neuroscience ; non literal language ; Sensorimotor system ; sentence comprehension
  • Is Part Of: Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2013-05, Vol.7, p.202-202
  • Description: Despite the impressive amount of evidence showing involvement of the sensorimotor systems in language processing, important questions remain unsolved among which the relationship between non-literal uses of language and sensorimotor activation. The literature did not yet provide a univocal answer on whether the comprehension of non-literal, abstract motion sentences engages the same neural networks recruited for literal sentences. A previous TMS study using the same experimental materials of the present study showed activation for literal, fictive and metaphoric motion sentences but not for idiomatic ones. To evaluate whether this may depend on insufficient time for elaborating the idiomatic meaning, we conducted a behavioral experiment that used a sensibility judgment task performed by pressing a button either with a hand finger or with a foot. Motor activation is known to be sensitive to the action-congruency of the effector used for responding. Therefore, all other things being equal, significant differences between response emitted with an action-congruent or incongruent effector (foot vs. hand) may be attributed to motor activation. Foot-related action verbs were embedded in sentences conveying literal motion, fictive motion, metaphoric motion or idiomatic motion. Mental sentences were employed as a control condition. foot responses were significantly faster than finger responses but only in literal motion sentences. We hypothesize that motor activation may arise in early phases of comprehension processes (i.e., upon reading the verb) for then decaying as a function of the strength of the semantic motion component of the verb.
  • Publisher: Switzerland: Frontiers Research Foundation
  • Language: English
  • Identifier: ISSN: 1662-5161
    EISSN: 1662-5161
    DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00202
    PMID: 23730278
  • Source: GFMER Free Medical Journals
    PubMed Central
    ROAD: Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources
    ProQuest Central
    DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
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