Effects of Culture on the Spatial Meaning of Words

Abstract

In what ways do action, language comprehension, and visual perception interact with one another? Previous research has shown how language comprehension may interfere with mental imagery and actual visual perception (Barsalou, 1999; Richardson, Spivey, Barsalou, & McRae, 2003; Spivey & Geng; 2001, Glenberg & Kaschak, 2002; Zwaan, Madden, Yaxley, & Aveyard, 2004). Furthermore, spatial language that insinuates action in one direction may interfere with our ability to perform physical actions of the opposite direction (Glenberg & Kashack, 2002). However, meanings associated with a particular action or gesture can be different across different cultures. The present paper is a grant proposal Project Plan designed to test whether activating spatial representations primes meaning in ways that are specific to the culture of the participant. In a task where people are incidentally asked to move their heads in a particular way, (i.e., either in an up and down nod, or a side-to-side shake), does that action that is irrelevant to the task affect language and spatial processing, and vice versa? And do we find different patterns of effects for English speakers (for whom nodding the head means yes and shaking the head means no) and Greek speakers (for whom nodding the head means no and shaking the head means yes)?