The concreteness of abstract language: an ancient issue and a new perspective

Buccino, Giovanni; Colagé, Ivan; Silipo, Francesco; D’Ambrosio, Paolo

doi:10.1007/s00429-019-01851-7

Cited by 20 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 111 publications

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“…It turns out that abstract concepts are not such because their meaning is “far from experience”, but rather that the concrete experiences expressed by abstract concepts are similar to those underlying concrete language, although they possibly have a higher complexity that is grounded in different neural systems (multi-systemic), involves different effectors (e.g., the hand, mouth, and possibly foot), and evolves dynamically across the lifespan [ 60 ]. In keeping with this interpretation of the present meta-analytic results, at the behavioral level, there is evidence that the concreteness effect [ 120 ]—that is, a facilitation of semantic processing of concrete words compared with abstract words—decreases when abstract words are contextualized [ 121 , 122 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To the best of our knowledge, only one recent proposal [ 60 ] has suggested a “strong” embodied version to process abstract concepts, ruling out the role of hybrid models. This proposal assumes that abstract concepts differ from concrete ones not because they are disentangled from experiences or acquired in social interactions, but rather because they are grounded in more complex sensory, motor, and emotional experiences compared with concrete concepts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence for the Concreteness of Abstract Language: A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

et al. 2021

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The neural mechanisms subserving the processing of abstract concepts remain largely debated. Even within the embodiment theoretical framework, most authors suggest that abstract concepts are coded in a linguistic propositional format, although they do not completely deny the role of sensorimotor and emotional experiences in coding it. To our knowledge, only one recent proposal puts forward that the processing of concrete and abstract concepts relies on the same mechanisms, with the only difference being in the complexity of the underlying experiences. In this paper, we performed a meta-analysis using the Activation Likelihood Estimates (ALE) method on 33 functional neuroimaging studies that considered activations related to abstract and concrete concepts. The results suggest that (1) concrete and abstract concepts share the recruitment of the temporo-fronto-parietal circuits normally involved in the interactions with the physical world, (2) processing concrete concepts recruits fronto-parietal areas better than abstract concepts, and (3) abstract concepts recruit Broca’s region more strongly than concrete ones. Based on anatomical and physiological evidence, Broca’s region is not only a linguistic region mainly devoted to speech production, but it is endowed with complex motor representations of different biological effectors. Hence, we propose that the stronger recruitment of this region for abstract concepts is expression of the complex sensorimotor experiences underlying it, rather than evidence of a purely linguistic format of its processing.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for the Concreteness of Abstract Language: A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

et al. 2021

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“…While semantics, as a whole, is a wide field exceeding the domain of the present review, the distinction between concrete and abstract concepts seems to be of particular interest (Montefinese, 2019), being closely related to the nature of language and its sensory embodiment or disembodiment. So the embodiment of abstract in comparison to concrete concepts is more complex (Buccino et al, 2019), abstract items are more related to emotional processing (Lindquist et al, 2015), they have a stronger representation in left inferior frontal gyrus (Shallice and Cooper, 2013) and left temporoparietal cortex (Skipper-Kallal et al, 2015), and they are characterized by longer processing time and different electrophysiological responses in the N400 domain and later potentials (West and Holcomb, 2000).…”

Section: The Semantic Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Margins of the Language Network in the Brain

2020

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This review paper summarizes the various brain modules that are involved in speech and language communication in addition to a left-dominant "core" language network that, for the present purpose, has been restricted to elementary formal-linguistic and more or less disembodied functions such as abstract phonology, syntax, and very basic lexical functions. This left-dominant perisylvian language network comprises parts of inferior frontal gyrus, premotor cortex, and upper temporal lobe, and a temporoparietal interface. After introducing this network, first, the various roles of neighboring and functionally connected brain regions are discussed. As a second approach, entire additional networks were considered rather than single regions, mainly motivated by resting-state studies indicating more or less stable connectivity patterns within these networks. Thirdly, some examples are provided for language tasks with functional demands exceeding the operating domain of the core language network. The rationale behind this approach is to present some outline of how the brain produces and perceives language, accounting, first, for a bulk of clinical studies showing typical forms of aphasia in case of left-hemispheric lesions in the core language network and second, for widespread activation patterns beyond this network in various experimental studies with language tasks. Roughly, the brain resources that complement the core language system in a task-specific way can be described as a number of brain structures and networks that are related to (1) motor representations, (2) sensory-related representations, (3) non-verbal memory structures, (4) affective/emotional processing, (5) social cognition and theory of mind, (6) meaning in context, and (7) cognitive control. After taking into account all these aspects, first, it seems clear that natural language communication cannot really work without additional systems. Second, it also becomes evident that during language acquisition the core language network has to be built up from outside, that is, from various neuronal activations that are related to sensory input, motor imitation, nursing, pre-linguistic sound communication, and pre-linguistic pragmatics. Furthermore, it might be worth considering that also in cases of aphasia the language network might be restored by being trained from outside.

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“…This is possibly due to linguistic-social information linked to the re-enactement of experience (Meteyard et al, 2012). In a recent paper, Buccino et al (2019) explain that abstract words, if compared to concrete ones, are more difficult to brain image because their neural representation not only involves multiple biological effectors and different sensory systems but also brain areas coding for social context. This is to say that abstract words are also experience related but they are connected to highly complex experiential clusters.…”

Section: Embodied Languagementioning

confidence: 99%

Embodied Learning: Why at School the Mind Needs the Body

Macedonia

2019

Front. Psychol.

102

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Despite all methodological efforts made in the last three decades, Western instruction grounds on traditional principles. Most educational programs follow theories that are mentalistic, i.e., they separate the mind from the body. At school, learners sit, watch, listen, and write. The aim of this paper is to present embodied learning as an alternative to mentalistic education. Similarly, this paper wants to describe embodied learning from a neuroscientific perspective. After a brief historical overview, I will review studies highlighting the behavioral effectiveness of embodied instruction in second language learning, mathematics and spatial thinking. On this base, I will discuss some of the brain mechanisms driving embodied learning and describe its advantages, clearly pleading in favor of instructional practice that reunites body and mind.

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The concreteness of abstract language: an ancient issue and a new perspective

Cited by 20 publications

References 111 publications

Evidence for the Concreteness of Abstract Language: A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

Evidence for the Concreteness of Abstract Language: A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

The Margins of the Language Network in the Brain

Embodied Learning: Why at School the Mind Needs the Body

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