A piece of the action: Modulation of sensory-motor regions by action idioms and metaphors

作者：Desai Rutvik H^*; Conant Lisa L; Binder Jeffrey R; Park Haeil; Seidenberg Mark S

来源：NeuroImage, 2013, 83: 862-869.

DOI：10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.07.044

• Embodiment
• Context sensitivity
• Idiom
• Metaphor
• Semantics
• Action
• fMRI

The idea that the conceptual system draws on sensory and motor systems has received considerable experimental support in recent years. Whether the tight coupling between sensory-motor and conceptual systems is modulated by factors such as context or task demands is a matter of controversy. Here, we tested the context sensitivity of this coupling by using action verbs in three different types of sentences in an fMRI study: literal action, apt but non-idiomatic action metaphors, and action idioms. Abstract sentences served as a baseline. The result showed involvement of sensory-motor areas for literal and metaphoric action sentences, but not for idiomatic ones. A trend of increasing sensory-motor activation from abstract to idiomatic to metaphoric to literal sentences was seen. These results support a gradual abstraction process whereby the reliance on sensory-motor systems is reduced as the abstractness of meaning as well as conventionalization is increased, highlighting the context sensitive nature of semantic processing.

• 出版日期2013-12