Kounios J, Holcomb P J
Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155.
J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1994 Jul;20(4):804-23. doi: 10.1037//0278-7393.20.4.804.
Dual-coding theory argues that processing advantages for concrete over abstract (verbal) stimuli result from the operation of 2 systems (i.e., imaginal and verbal) for concrete stimuli, rather than just 1 (for abstract stimuli). These verbal and imaginal systems have been linked with the left and right hemispheres of the brain, respectively. Context-availability theory argues that concreteness effects result from processing differences in a single system. The merits of these theories were investigated by examining the topographic distribution of event-related brain potentials in 2 experiments (lexical decision and concrete-abstract classification). The results were most consistent with dual-coding theory. In particular, different scalp distributions of an N400-like negativity were elicited by concrete and abstract words.
双重编码理论认为，具体刺激相对于抽象（语言）刺激的加工优势源于针对具体刺激的两个系统（即意象系统和语言系统）的运作，而非仅针对抽象刺激的一个系统。这些语言系统和意象系统分别与大脑的左半球和右半球相关联。情境可用性理论认为，具体性效应源于单一系统中的加工差异。通过在两项实验（词汇判断和具体-抽象分类）中检查事件相关脑电位的地形图分布，对这些理论的优点进行了研究。结果与双重编码理论最为一致。具体而言，具体词和抽象词引发了类似N400的负波在头皮上的不同分布。
