Learning Concrete and Abstract Novel Words in Emotional Contexts
Evidence from Incidental Vocabulary Learning
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21746313 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nadia Lana (0000-0001-8092-8797, McMaster University, corresponding author), Victor Kuperman (0000-0001-8961-3767, McMaster University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 158-173 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Language Learning and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1547-3341 • E-ISSN: 1547-5441 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15475441.2023.2246438 |
| OpenAlex | W4385986479 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 46 |
This study investigates the role of emotional linguistic input in learning novel words with abstract and concrete denotations. It is widely accepted that concrete words are processed more easily than abstract ones. Several theories of vocabulary acquisition additionally propose a critical role of sensorimotor and emotional information during novel word learning. In this study, proficient adult speakers of English read novel words denoting concrete and abstract words (e.g. boat vs religion) embedded in informative passages with different emotional valence (positive, neutral, and negative). After five exposures to each novel word in an emotionally consistent context, participants were tested on orthographic and semantic vocabulary learning, and provided valence judgments of these novel words. A concreteness advantage was seen in both tasks measuring semantic learning. Critically, valence of linguistic contexts was more influential for novel words with concrete denotations. In line with previous reports, the transfer of context emotionality to novel words (i.e. semantic prosody) took place in concrete stimuli but it was not found in abstract stimuli, even though both were embedded in emotional contexts. An equal advantage was seen for semantic learning of novel words with both concrete and abstract denotations seen in positive contexts. These findings provide support for weak embodied theories of cognition, which propose experiential and linguistic information as critical for concrete and abstract novel word learning
Cognitive psychology · Concreteness · Embodied cognition · Experiential learning · Linguistics · Vocabulary · Action Observation and Synchronization · Computer Science · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism · Psychology · Artificial Intelligence
Empathy, Executive Function, and Dynamic L2 Lexical Inferencing in Emotionally Charged Contexts
The Impact of Emotional Text and Sleep Consolidation on Incidental Vocabulary Learning in a Second Language
The effects of comics as multimodal input on L2 vocabulary development
The dissociative effects of contextual diversity in adult novel word learning under different emotional contexts
The interplay between language and emotion
Embodiment and Cognitive Science
The Brain's concepts
Toward a theory of semantic representation
Attention
Dual coding theory
Coh-Metrix
Wuggy
Simulation, situated conceptualization, and prediction
A critical look at the embodied cognition hypothesis and a new proposal for grounding conceptual content
Hard Words
The representation of abstract words
Emotion words, regardless of polarity, have a processing advantage over neutral words
The lexical quality hypothesis
Grounding conceptual knowledge in modality-specific systems
The power of simulation
Emotion and language
Functional links between motor and language systems
Effect Displays in R for Generalised Linear Models
Reading Ability
Somatotopic Representation of Action Words in Human Motor and Premotor Cortex
Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4
LmerTest Package
Perceptual symbol systems
How emotion is learned
Size and strength
Book reading and vocabulary development
Psycholinguistic word information in second language oral discourse
The role of emotional valence in learning novel abstract concepts
Sensory Linguistics
A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression of Incidental Second Language Word Learning from Spoken Input
Psycholinguistic Determinants of Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning
| Citations per year | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |