Background. Interpretation is the process through which humans attribute meanings to
Background. Even though the interpretation of natural language messages is generally conceived as the result of a conscious processing of the message content, the influence of unconscious factors is also well known. What is still insufficiently known is the way such factors work. We have tackled interpretation assuming it is a process, whose basic features are the same for the whole humankind, and employing a naturalistic approach (careful observation of phenomena in conditions the closest to “natural” ones, and precise description before and independently of data statistical analysis).Methodology. Our field research involved a random sample of 102 adults. We presented them with a complete real world-like case of written communication using unabridged message texts. We collected data (participants’ written reports on their interpretations) in controlled conditions through a specially designed questionnaire (closed and opened answers); then, we treated it through qualitative and quantitative methods.Principal Findings. We gathered some evidence that, in written message interpretation, between reading and the attribution of conscious meaning, an intermediate step could exist (we named it “disassembling”) which looks like an automatic reaction to the text words/expressions. Thus, the process of interpretation would be a discontinuous sequence of three steps having different natures: the initial “decoding” step (i.e., reading, which requires technical abilities), disassembling (the automatic reaction, an unconscious passage) and the final conscious attribution of meaning. If this is true, words and expressions would firstly function like physical stimuli, before being taken into account as symbols. Such hypothesis, once confirmed, could help explaining some links between the cultural (human communication) and the biological (stimulus-reaction mechanisms as the basis for meanings) dimension of humankind.
Background. Interpretation is the process through which humans attribute meanings to the inputs they receive from their natural or social environment. Formulation and exchange of meanings (through natural language) are fundamental aspects of human behaviour and important neuroscience subjects. The current concepts mainly refer to conscious treating of incoming information; however, available data does not provide definitive answers and scientific comprehension of the interpretation process is still unsatisfactory. Our work proposes some contributions aimed to improve it. Methodology. Our field research involved a random sample of 102 adults. We submitted to the sample a real world-like written communication example using complete and unabridged message texts. We collected data (written accounts by participants about their interpretations) in controlled conditions through a specially designed questionnaire (closed and opened answers). Finally, we carried out qualitative and quantitative analyses through some fundamental statistics. Principal Findings. While readers are expected to concentrate on the text’s information content, they rather focus on the most varied and unpredictable components: certain physical features of the message (such as the message’s period length) as well as meta-information like the position of a statement or even the lack of some content. Actually, just about 12% of the participants' indications point at the text's content; in addition, the reader's selective focusing appears a random picking-up of message components. Our data converge on the hypothesis that such observed behaviours could depend on automatic physiological reactions of the reader to the message components: the components would work like physical stimuli and the reactions would precede the conscious attribution of meaning to the message. So, interpretation would be a (learned) stimulus-reaction mechanism, before switching to information processing, and the basis of meaning could be perceptual/analogical, before logical/digital. We have carried out a first check of our hypothesis through focusing on its critical requisite: priority of automatic reaction over the conscious attribution of meaning. The employed example contained the emerging of a conflict and two versions (same content, ad-hoc different forms) of a reply to be sent at a certain point. We collected the participants’ (independent) interpretations of the two versions; then, we asked them to choose which version could solve the conflict and we assessed (through a special indicator) the coherence between interpretations and choices. The study of the coherence level in the two subsamples revealed highly significantly different distributions (p<<0.01). Such difference seems to be linked to the choice, rather than to the previous interpretations; this result is consistent with the hypothesis that choice is based on an individual’s automatic reactions and precedes conscious information processing.
Background. Interpretation is the process through which humans attribute meanings to every input they grasp from their natural or social environment. Formulation and exchange of meanings through natural language are basic aspects of human behaviour and important neuroscience subjects; from long ago, they are the object of dedicated scientific research. Two main theoretical positions (cognitivism and embodied cognition) are at present confronting each other; however, available data is not conclusive and scientific knowledge of the interpretation process is still unsatisfactory. Our work proposes some contributions aimed to improve it. Methodology. Our field research involved a random sample of 102 adults. We presented them a real world-like case of written communication using unabridged message texts. We collected data (written accounts by participants about their interpretations) in controlled conditions through a specially designed questionnaire (closed and opened answers). Finally, we carried out qualitative and quantitative analyses through some fundamental statistics. Principal Findings. While readers are expected to concentrate on the text’s content, they rather report focusing on the most varied and unpredictable components: certain physical features of the message (e.g. the message’s period lengths) as well as meta-information like the position of a statement or even the lack of some content. Just about 12% of the participants' indications point directly at the text's content. Our data converge on the hypothesis that the components of a message work at first like physical stimuli, causing readers' automatic (body level) reactions independent of the conscious attribution of meaning. So, interpretation would be a (learned) stimulus-reaction mechanism, before switching to information processing, and the basis of meaning could be perceptual/analogical, before propositional/digital. We carried out a first check of our hypothesis: the employed case contained the emerging of a conflict and two versions (“H” and “S”, same content, different forms) of a reply to be sent at a crucial point. We collected the participants’ (independent) interpretations of the two versions; then, we asked them to choose which one could solve the conflict; finally, we assessed the coherence between interpretations and choice on a 4-level scale. The analysis of the coherence levels' distribution returned that, with regards to our expectations, incoherence levels are over-represented; such imbalance is totally ascribable to “H” choosers. “H” and “S” choosers show significant differences (p<<0.01) in the distributions of coherence levels, what is inconsistent with the traditional hypothesis of a linear information processing resulting in the final choice. In the end, with respect to the currently opposing theories, we found out that our hypothesis has either important convergences or at least one critical divergence, joined with the capacity to encompass they both.
Background. Interpretation is the process through which humans attribute meanings to every input they grasp from their natural or social environment. Formulation and exchange of meanings through natural language are basic aspects of human behaviour and important neuroscience subjects; from long ago, they are the object of dedicated scientific research. Two main theoretical positions (cognitivism and embodied cognition) are at present confronting each other; however, available data is not conclusive and scientific knowledge of the interpretation process is still unsatisfactory. Our work proposes some contributions aimed to improve it. Methodology. Our field research involved a random sample of 102 adults. We presented them a real world-like case of written communication using unabridged message texts. We collected data (written accounts by participants about their interpretations) in controlled conditions through a specially designed questionnaire (closed and opened answers). Finally, we carried out qualitative and quantitative analyses through some fundamental statistics. Principal Findings. While readers are expected to concentrate on the text’s content, they rather report focusing on the most varied and unpredictable components: certain physical features of the message (e.g. the message’s period lengths) as well as meta-information like the position of a statement or even the lack of some content. Just about 12% of the participants' indications point directly at the text's content. Our data converge on the hypothesis that the components of a message work at first like physical stimuli, causing readers' automatic (body level) reactions independent of the conscious attribution of meaning. So, interpretation would be a (learned) stimulus-reaction mechanism, before switching to information processing, and the basis of meaning could be perceptual/analogical, before propositional/digital. We carried out a first check of our hypothesis: the employed case contained the emerging of a conflict and two versions (“H” and “S”, same content, different forms) of a reply to be sent at a crucial point. We collected the participants’ (independent) interpretations of the two versions; then, we asked them to choose which one could solve the conflict; finally, we assessed the coherence between interpretations and choice on a 4-level scale. The analysis of the coherence levels' distribution returned that, with regards to our expectations, incoherence levels are over-represented; such imbalance is totally ascribable to “H” choosers. “H” and “S” choosers show significant differences (p<<0.01) in the distributions of coherence levels, what is inconsistent with the traditional hypothesis of a linear information processing resulting in the final choice. In the end, with respect to the currently opposing theories, we found out that our hypothesis has either important convergences or at least one critical divergence, joined with the capacity to encompass they both.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.