The role of Embodied Representations in Non-Verbal Depiction of Abstract and Concrete Concepts

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The role of Embodied Representations in
Non-Verbal Depiction of Abstract and Concrete
Concepts

• Yanina A.Ledovaya
• Department of Psychology
• Saint Petersburg State University
• St.Petersburg, Russia
• ledovaya_at_gmail.com

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• We do not see things as they are, we see them
  as we are.
• The Talmud

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• We do not see things as they are, we see them
  as we are.
• The Talmud

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• We do not see things as they are, we see them
  as we are.
• The Talmud

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Empirical study with qualitative analysis

• The stimuli two concepts
• An abstract IDEA
• A concrete DESSERT

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• The participants
• teenagers,
• N39, 22 females, 17 males,
• 14-18 years old, average 15,4 1, 03

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• Two successive drawing tasks
• To briefly sketch a first imagery impression they
  have for a concept
• To depict an object which reflects the most
  important and essential characteristics of this
  concept
• (a subtest from a method Integral
  conceptual structures by Marina A.Kholodnaya,
  Russian Academy of Science, Institute of
  Psychology
• the idea of imageto-word and vice versa
  transformation during thinking and understanding
  processes was evolved by Lev Vekker (1918-2001),
  Leningrad State University)

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The results

• IDEA brief sketch (I)

sources of light sparkling bulbs, shining suns 32
humans or parts of the body (head, face, hand) 23
signs of emotions (smiles, exclamation or interrogatory signs) 20
a bulb 10
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The results

• DESSERT - brief sketch (I)

a cake or a piece of a big cake 30
ice-cream 18
a big cake, cake with candles 7 each
emotions, exclamations signs 6
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The results

• IDEA essential characteristics depiction
  (II)

II I
sources of light sparkling bulbs, shining suns 14 32
human beings or parts of the body (head, face, hand) 23 23
signs of emotions (smiles, exclamation or interrogatory signs) 13 20
symbols and metaphors 13 4
depicting actions 11 6
improvements 8 0
energy conversions 6 0
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The results. 4

• DESSERT essential characteristics depiction
  (II)

II I
a cake or a piece of a big cake 0 30
ice-cream 5 18
a big cake, cake with candles 5,5 each 7 each
emotions, exclamations signs 8 6
fruit 12 0
celebrations, parties 11 0
humans 10 2
symbols and metaphors 10 0
the idea of harm to health and body 6 0
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Embodied data in task II (core features)
categories IDEA DESSERT
humans or parts of the body 23 10
depicting actions 11
improvements 8
energy conversions 6
the idea of harm to health and body 6
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Main conclusions

1. there are visual prototypes for concepts both
   for abstract and concrete
2. a deeper representation combined with analysis
   and synthesis is (likely) experience-dependent
   and more individual
3. people tell stories and describe whole
   situations (in a graphical form) to depict
   essential characteristics of concepts, especially
   abstracts concepts
4. humans, actions and human body images are more
   involved into abstract concepts representations

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Current (further) questions

• Refuse to depict concepts
• Accidental results?
• Too specific choice of stimuli (IDEA,
  DESSERT)?
• Problem of classification (the investigator may
  not be objective)?
• Corresponding objective methods of investigation?

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