Emotional Valence Precedes Semantic Maturation of Words: A Longitudinal Computational Study of Early Verbal Emotional Anchoring

Abstract

We present a longitudinal computational study on the connection between emotional and amodal word representations from a developmental perspective. In this study, children's and adult word representations were generated using the latent semantic analysis (LSA) vector space model and Word Maturity methodology. Some children's word representations were used to set a mapping function between amodal and emotional word representations with a neural network model using ratings from 9-year-old children. The neural network was trained and validated in the child semantic space. Then, the resulting neural network was tested with adult word representations using ratings from an adult data set. Samples of 1210 and 5315 words were used in the child and the adult semantic spaces, respectively. Results suggested that the emotional valence of words can be predicted from amodal vector representations even at the child stage, and accurate emotional propagation was found in the adult word vector representations. In this way, different propagative processes were observed in the adult semantic space. These findings highlight a potential mechanism for early verbal emotional anchoring. Moreover, different multiple linear regression and mixed-effect models revealed moderation effects for the performance of the longitudinal computational model. First, words with early maturation and subsequent semantic definition promoted emotional propagation. Second, an interaction effect between age of acquisition and abstractness was found to explain model performance. The theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.

Exploring determinants of formation of cognitive anchors from altruistic messages: A fuzzy DEMATEL approach

“…It also addresses the need for naming, thematic anchoring, use of antinomies, use of metaphors, understanding the audience’s cognitive ability, repetition, crafting engaging information, consistency, and feedback. This provides further evidence to prior research findings that emotional appeal enhances the effectiveness of social communication [ 11 , 30 , 36 ]. Messages that are emotionally loaded evoke empathy and consequently help recipients connect on a deeper level with the message, enhancing engagement, understanding, and retainment of the message [ 23 , 78 ].…”

“…It also addresses the need for naming, thematic anchoring, use of antinomies, use of metaphors, understanding the audience's cognitive ability, repetition, crafting engaging information, consistency, and feedback. This provides further evidence to prior research findings that emotional appeal enhances the effectiveness of social communication [11,30,36]. Messages that…”

“…Emotional anchoring is the communicative process by which a new idea is attached to well-known emotions [ 10 ]. Emotional anchoring is embedded in the verbal and visual illustrations used during communication to enhance communication effectiveness [ 10 , 36 ]. People focus on a message when it triggers emotions [ 37 ].…”

The acquisition of emotion-laden words from childhood to adolescence

“…Indeed, these analyses replicated positive valence effects on the age of acquisition of words independent of word frequency, suggesting that our findings are rather robust. Also, recent evidence suggests that word emotional valence in adults can be predicted by children´s representations of this affective dimension, and that valence judgements by children and adults are highly correlated (Martínez-Huertas et al, 2021). Nonetheless, current findings might also be relevant by at least showing that children learn earlier those EL words that for adults show positive connotations.…”