Mazzuca Claudia, Fini Chiara, De Livio Chiara, Falcinelli Ilenia, Maggio Fernando, Tummolini Luca, Borghi Anna M
Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Phys Life Rev. 2025 Mar;52:109-128. doi: 10.1016/j.plrev.2024.12.011. Epub 2024 Dec 19.
The paper presents new evidence collected in the last five years supporting the Words As social Tools proposal on abstract concepts. We discuss findings revolving around three central tenets. First, we show that-like concrete concepts-also abstract concepts evoke sensorimotor experiences, even if to a lower extent, and that they are linked to inner experiences (e.g., interoceptive, proprioceptive, and metacognitive). Second, we present findings suggesting that linguistic and social interaction are crucial for acquiring and using abstract concepts. Specifically, rating and behavioral studies reveal that people tend to feel uncertain about the meaning of abstract concepts. On top of that, with abstract concepts, people rely more on others to ask for information, negotiate conceptual meaning, or outsource their knowledge. We propose that inner speech might contribute both to the monitoring process and the preparation to interact with others. Finally, we illustrate recent studies conducted in our lab highlighting abstract concepts variability across individuals (age, expertise), cultures, and languages.
本文展示了过去五年收集的新证据，这些证据支持了“词语作为社会工具”这一关于抽象概念的提议。我们讨论了围绕三个核心原则的研究结果。首先，我们表明，与具体概念一样，抽象概念也会唤起感觉运动体验，即使程度较低，并且它们与内在体验（例如，内感受、本体感受和元认知）相关联。其次，我们展示的研究结果表明，语言和社会互动对于获取和使用抽象概念至关重要。具体而言，评级和行为研究表明，人们往往对抽象概念的含义感到不确定。除此之外，对于抽象概念，人们更依赖他人来获取信息、协商概念含义或外包他们的知识。我们提出，内心言语可能有助于监测过程以及为与他人互动做准备。最后，我们阐述了我们实验室最近进行的研究，这些研究突出了抽象概念在个体（年龄、专业知识）、文化和语言之间的差异。
