Semantic associative relations and conceptual processing

Abstract

We analysed the organisation of semantic network using associative mechanisms between different types of information and studied the progression of the use of these associative relations during development. We aimed to verify the linkage of concepts with the use of semantic associative relations. The goal of this study was to analyse the cognitive ability to use associative relations between various items when describing old and/or new concepts. We examined the performance of 100 subjects between the ages of 4 and 7 years on an experimental task using five associative relations based on verbal encoding. The results showed that children are able to use the five semantic associative relations at age 4, but performance with each of the different associative relations improves at different times during development. Functional and part/whole relations develop at an early age, whereas the superordinate relations develop later. Our study clarified the characteristics of the progression of semantic associations during development as well as the roles that associative relations play in the structure and improvement of the semantic store.

The Semantic Associative Ability in Preschoolers with Different Language Onset Time

“…Significant differences were also found in the Matching task: the 3-year-old group was less able than the 4-year-old ( p < 0.001) and 5-year-old groups ( p < 0.004; Figure 3 ). The expected results have confirmed out the previous data ( Di Giacomo et al, 2012 ).…”

“…In particular, the ability to associate concepts using different strategies has been showed being active since the preschool age. Our research evidenced the progression of semantic associations and the roles they have in the semantic store buinding ( Di Giacomo et al, 2012 ). Perceptual and then linguistic processes co-occur to develop semantic abilities.…”

“…Perceptual and then linguistic processes co-occur to develop semantic abilities. The child becomes semantically competent during preschool and early school development using sequentially perceptual and verbal encoding ( Murphy, 2002 ; Needham et al, 2006 ; Coley, 2007 ; Nguyen, 2007 ; Di Giacomo et al, 2010 , 2012 ; Herrmann et al, 2012 ).…”

Similitud y contraste en el procesamiento léxico: aproximación teórico-práctica

“…Junto a ello, se ha resaltado que la fuerza asociativa depende de cómo interactúen los significados en los contextos y de los rasgos experienciales de los referentes implicados, con lo que no sólo permite diversas categorizaciones simultáneas y explica el aprendizaje (cf. Di Giacomo et al, 2012), sino que también contempla la flexibilidad en el protagonismo mayor o menor de los rasgos de similitud y contraste.…”