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Conca F, Gibbons DM, Bayram B, Incesoy EI, Tacchini M, Düzel E, Cappa SF, Catricalà E. TACO: A Turkish database for abstract concepts. Behav Res Methods 2024:10.3758/s13428-024-02428-x. [PMID: 38684624 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-024-02428-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The organization of abstract concepts reflects different dimensions, grounded in the brain regions coding for the corresponding experience. Normative measures of linguistic stimuli offer noteworthy insights into the organization of conceptual knowledge, but studies differ in the dimensions and classes of concepts considered. Additionally, most of the available information has been collected in English, without considering possible linguistic and cultural differences. Here, we aimed to create a comprehensive Turkish database for abstract concepts (TACO), including rarely investigated classes such as political concepts. We included 503 words-78 concrete (fruits, animals, tools) and 425 abstract (emotions, social, mental states, theoretical, quantity, space, political)-rated by 134 Turkish speakers for familiarity, imageability, age of acquisition, valence, arousal, quantity, space, theoretical, social, mental state, and political dimensions. We calculated dominance and exclusivity, indicating the dimension receiving the highest mean score for each word, and the position of the word along the unidimensional-multidimensional continuum, respectively. A principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on the semantic dimensions. The results showed that mental state was the dominant dimension for most concepts. Moderate to low levels of exclusivity indicated that the concepts were multidimensional. PCA revealed three components: Component 1 captured the juxtaposition between social/mental state and magnitude polarities, Component 2 highlighted affective components, and Component 3 grouped together political and theoretical dimensions. The introduction of political concepts provided insights into the multidimensional nature of this unexplored class, closely intertwined with the theoretical dimension. TACO constitutes the first comprehensive Turkish database covering several abstract dimensions, paving the way for cross-linguistic and cross-cultural studies of semantic representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Conca
- ICoN Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Institute for Advanced Studies, IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Daniela M Gibbons
- ICoN Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Institute for Advanced Studies, IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Başak Bayram
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Enise I Incesoy
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Marta Tacchini
- Experimental Neurophysiology Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology-INSPE, Milan, Italy
- San Raffaele Vita-Salute University, Milan, Italy
| | - Emrah Düzel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Stefano F Cappa
- ICoN Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Institute for Advanced Studies, IUSS, Pavia, Italy.
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Eleonora Catricalà
- ICoN Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Institute for Advanced Studies, IUSS, Pavia, Italy
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Zheng XY, Hebart MN, Grill F, Dolan RJ, Doeller CF, Cools R, Garvert MM. Parallel cognitive maps for multiple knowledge structures in the hippocampal formation. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad485. [PMID: 38204296 PMCID: PMC10839836 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The hippocampal-entorhinal system uses cognitive maps to represent spatial knowledge and other types of relational information. However, objects can often be characterized by different types of relations simultaneously. How does the hippocampal formation handle the embedding of stimuli in multiple relational structures that differ vastly in their mode and timescale of acquisition? Does the hippocampal formation integrate different stimulus dimensions into one conjunctive map or is each dimension represented in a parallel map? Here, we reanalyzed human functional magnetic resonance imaging data from Garvert et al. (2017) that had previously revealed a map in the hippocampal formation coding for a newly learnt transition structure. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging adaptation analysis, we found that the degree of representational similarity in the bilateral hippocampus also decreased as a function of the semantic distance between presented objects. Importantly, while both map-like structures localized to the hippocampal formation, the semantic map was located in more posterior regions of the hippocampal formation than the transition structure and thus anatomically distinct. This finding supports the idea that the hippocampal-entorhinal system forms parallel cognitive maps that reflect the embedding of objects in diverse relational structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaochen Y Zheng
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Martin N Hebart
- Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Medicine, Justus Liebig University, 35390, Giessen, Germany
| | - Filip Grill
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Radboud University Medical Center, Department of Neurology, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London WC1B 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Christian F Doeller
- Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, Jebsen Centre for Alzheimer's Disease, NTNU, 7491, Trondheim, Norway
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute of Psychology, Leipzig University, 04109, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Roshan Cools
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Radboud University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Mona M Garvert
- Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Zhang Y, Wu W, Mirman D, Hoffman P. Representation of event and object concepts in ventral anterior temporal lobe and angular gyrus. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad519. [PMID: 38185997 PMCID: PMC10839851 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Semantic knowledge includes understanding of objects and their features and also understanding of the characteristics of events. The hub-and-spoke theory holds that these conceptual representations rely on multiple information sources that are integrated in a central hub in the ventral anterior temporal lobes. The dual-hub theory expands this framework with the claim that the ventral anterior temporal lobe hub is specialized for object representation, while a second hub in angular gyrus is specialized for event representation. To test these ideas, we used representational similarity analysis, univariate and psychophysiological interaction analyses of fMRI data collected while participants processed object and event concepts (e.g. "an apple," "a wedding") presented as images and written words. Representational similarity analysis showed that angular gyrus encoded event concept similarity more than object similarity, although the left angular gyrus also encoded object similarity. Bilateral ventral anterior temporal lobes encoded both object and event concept structure, and left ventral anterior temporal lobe exhibited stronger coding for events. Psychophysiological interaction analysis revealed greater connectivity between left ventral anterior temporal lobe and right pMTG, and between right angular gyrus and bilateral ITG and middle occipital gyrus, for event concepts compared to object concepts. These findings support the specialization of angular gyrus for event semantics, though with some involvement in object coding, but do not support ventral anterior temporal lobe specialization for object concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueyang Zhang
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Wei Wu
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Mirman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Hoffman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
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Repetto C, Rodella C, Conca F, Santi GC, Catricalà E. The Italian Sensorimotor Norms: Perception and action strength measures for 959 words. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:4035-4047. [PMID: 36307624 PMCID: PMC10700458 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-02004-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Neuroscience research has provided evidence that semantic information is stored in a distributed brain network involved in sensorimotor and linguistic processing. More specifically, according to the embodied cognition accounts, the representation of concepts is deemed as grounded in our bodily states. For these reasons, normative measures of words should provide relevant information about the extent to which each word embeds perceptual and action properties. In the present study, we collected ratings for 959 Italian nouns and verbs from 398 volunteers, recruited via an online platform. The words were mostly taken from the Italian adaptation of the Affective Norms for English Words (ANEW). A pool of 145 verbs was added to the original set. All the words were rated on 11 sensorimotor dimensions: six perceptual modalities (vision, audition, taste, smell, touch, and interoception) and five effectors (hand-arm, foot-leg, torso, mouth, head). The new verbs were also rated on the ANEW dimensions. Results showed good reliability and consistency with previous studies. Relations between perceptual and motor dimensions are described and interpreted, along with relations between the sensorimotor and the affective dimensions. The currently developed dataset represents an important novelty, as it includes different word classes, i.e., both nouns and verbs, and integrates ratings of both sensorimotor and affective dimensions, along with other psycholinguistic parameters; all features only partially accomplished in previous studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Repetto
- Deptarment of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123, Milan, Italy.
| | - Claudia Rodella
- Deptarment of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123, Milan, Italy.
| | | | - Gaia Chiara Santi
- ICoN Cognitive Neuroscience center, Institute for Advanced Studies, IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Eleonora Catricalà
- IRCCS Mondino Neurological Institute, Pavia, Italy
- ICoN Cognitive Neuroscience center, Institute for Advanced Studies, IUSS, Pavia, Italy
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Li X, Luo D, Wang C, Xia Y, Jin H. Motor features of abstract verbs determine their representations in the motor system. Front Psychol 2022; 13:957426. [PMID: 36110272 PMCID: PMC9469731 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.957426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Embodied cognition theory posits that concept representations inherently rely on sensorimotor experiences that accompany their acquisitions. This is well established through concrete concepts. However, it is debatable whether representations of abstract concepts are based on sensorimotor representations. This study investigated the causal role of associated motor experiences that accompany concept acquisition in the involvement of the motor system in the abstract verb processing. Through two experiments, we examined the action–sentence compatibility effect, in the test phase after an increase in motor features during the learning phase for abstract verbs with low motor features (Experiment 1) or novel words with no conceptual features at all (Experiment 2). After associated motor experiences were added in the word learning phase, action–sentence compatibility effect was found in the semantic processing tasks during the test phase for abstract verbs (Experiment 1a) and novel words (Experiment 2). This was lacking in the word font color judgment task requiring no semantic processing (Experiment 1b). Coupled with our previous study, these findings suggest that motor features formed during word learning could causally affect embodiment in the motor system for abstract verbs, and reactivation of motor experiences in abstract verb processing depends on a given task’s demands. Our study supports the view that conceptual representations, even abstract concepts, can be grounded in sensorimotor experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Department of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Dan Luo
- Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Faculty of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Chao Wang
- Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yaoyuan Xia
- Department of Physical Education, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hua Jin
- Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- *Correspondence: Hua Jin,
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Merchant JS, Alkire D, Redcay E. Neural similarity between mentalizing and live social interaction during the transition to adolescence. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4074-4090. [PMID: 35545954 PMCID: PMC9374881 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interactions are essential for human development, yet little neuroimaging research has examined their underlying neurocognitive mechanisms using socially interactive paradigms during childhood and adolescence. Recent neuroimaging research has revealed activity in the mentalizing network when children engage with a live social partner, even when mentalizing is not required. While this finding suggests that social‐interactive contexts may spontaneously engage mentalizing, it is not a direct test of how similarly the brain responds to these two contexts. The current study used representational similarity analysis on data from 8‐ to 14‐year‐olds who made mental and nonmental judgments about an abstract character and a live interaction partner during fMRI. A within‐subject, 2 (Mental/Nonmental) × 2 (Peer/Character) design enabled us to examine response pattern similarity between conditions, and estimate fit to three conceptual models of how the two contexts relate: (1) social interaction and mentalizing about an abstract character are represented similarly; (2) interactive peers and abstract characters are represented differently regardless of the evaluation type; and (3) mental and nonmental states are represented dissimilarly regardless of target. We found that the temporal poles represent mentalizing and peer interactions similarly (Model 1), suggesting a neurocognitive link between the two in these regions. Much of the rest of the social brain exhibits different representations of interactive peers and abstract characters (Model 2). Our findings highlight the importance of studying social‐cognitive processes using interactive approaches, and the utility of pattern‐based analyses for understanding how social‐cognitive processes relate to each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junaid S Merchant
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Diana Alkire
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Elizabeth Redcay
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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