Journal article
What we mean when we say semantic: Toward a multidisciplinary semantic glossary
Psychonomic bulletin & review
04 Sep 2024
Abstract
Tulving characterized semantic memory as a vast repository of meaning that underlies language and many other cognitive processes. This perspective on lexical and conceptual knowledge galvanized a new era of research undertaken by numerous fields, each with their own idiosyncratic methods and terminology. For example, "concept" has different meanings in philosophy, linguistics, and psychology. As such, many fundamental constructs used to delineate semantic theories remain underspecified and/or opaque. Weak construct specificity is among the leading causes of the replication crisis now facing psychology and related fields. Term ambiguity hinders cross-disciplinary communication, falsifiability, and incremental theory-building. Numerous cognitive subdisciplines (e.g., vision, affective neuroscience) have recently addressed these limitations via the development of consensus-based guidelines and definitions. The project to follow represents our effort to produce a multidisciplinary semantic glossary consisting of succinct definitions, background, principled dissenting views, ratings of agreement, and subjective confidence for 17 target constructs (e.g., abstractness, abstraction, concreteness, concept, embodied cognition, event semantics, lexical-semantic, modality, representation, semantic control, semantic feature, simulation, semantic distance, semantic dimension). We discuss potential benefits and pitfalls (e.g., implicit bias, prescriptiveness) of these efforts to specify a common nomenclature that other researchers might index in specifying their own theoretical perspectives (e.g., They said X, but I mean Y).Tulving characterized semantic memory as a vast repository of meaning that underlies language and many other cognitive processes. This perspective on lexical and conceptual knowledge galvanized a new era of research undertaken by numerous fields, each with their own idiosyncratic methods and terminology. For example, "concept" has different meanings in philosophy, linguistics, and psychology. As such, many fundamental constructs used to delineate semantic theories remain underspecified and/or opaque. Weak construct specificity is among the leading causes of the replication crisis now facing psychology and related fields. Term ambiguity hinders cross-disciplinary communication, falsifiability, and incremental theory-building. Numerous cognitive subdisciplines (e.g., vision, affective neuroscience) have recently addressed these limitations via the development of consensus-based guidelines and definitions. The project to follow represents our effort to produce a multidisciplinary semantic glossary consisting of succinct definitions, background, principled dissenting views, ratings of agreement, and subjective confidence for 17 target constructs (e.g., abstractness, abstraction, concreteness, concept, embodied cognition, event semantics, lexical-semantic, modality, representation, semantic control, semantic feature, simulation, semantic distance, semantic dimension). We discuss potential benefits and pitfalls (e.g., implicit bias, prescriptiveness) of these efforts to specify a common nomenclature that other researchers might index in specifying their own theoretical perspectives (e.g., They said X, but I mean Y).
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Details
- Title
- What we mean when we say semantic: Toward a multidisciplinary semantic glossary
- Creators
- Jamie Reilly - Temple UniversityCory Shain - Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyValentina Borghesani - University of GenevaPhilipp Kuhnke - Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesGabriella Vigliocco - University College LondonJonathan E Peelle - Northeastern UniversityBradford Z Mahon - Carnegie Mellon UniversityLaurel J Buxbaum - Thomas Jefferson UniversityAsifa Majid - University of OxfordMarc Brysbaert - Ghent University HospitalAnna M Borghi - Sapienza University of RomeSimon De Deyne - The University of MelbourneGuy Dove - University of LouisvilleLiuba Papeo - Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1Penny M Pexman - Western UniversityDavid Poeppel - New York UniversityGary Lupyan - University of Wisconsin–MadisonPaulo Boggio - Universidade Presbiteriana MackenzieGregory Hickok - University of California, IrvineLaura Gwilliams - Stanford UniversityLeonardo Fernandino - Medical College of WisconsinDaniel Mirman - University of EdinburghEvangelia G Chrysikou - Drexel UniversityChaleece W Sandberg - Pennsylvania State UniversitySebastian J Crutch - University College LondonLiina Pylkkänen - New York UniversityEiling Yee - University of ConnecticutRebecca L Jackson - University of YorkJennifer M Rodd - University College LondonMarina Bedny - Johns Hopkins UniversityLouise Connell - National University of Ireland, MaynoothMarkus Kiefer - Universität UlmDavid Kemmerer - Purdue University West LafayetteGreig de Zubicaray - Queensland University of TechnologyElizabeth Jefferies - University of BolognaDermot Lynott - National University of Ireland, MaynoothCynthia S Q Siew - National University of SingaporeRutvik H Desai - University of South CarolinaKen McRae - Western UniversityMichele T Diaz - Pennsylvania State UniversityMarianna Bolognesi - University of BolognaEvelina Fedorenko - Massachusetts Institute of TechnologySwathi Kiran - Boston UniversityMaria Montefinese - University of PaduaJeffrey R Binder - Medical College of WisconsinMelvin J Yap - Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesGesa Hartwigsen - Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesJessica Cantlon - Carnegie Mellon UniversityYanchao Bi - University of EdinburghPaul Hoffman - University of EdinburghFrank E Garcea - University of RochesterDavid Vinson - University College London
- Publication Details
- Psychonomic bulletin & review
- Publisher
- SPRINGER; NEW YORK
- Number of pages
- 38
- Grant note
- Bi STI2030-Major Project: 2021ZD0204104, NSFC 31925020 NIH/NIDCD: R01 DC016622 CAPES: 88,887.310255/2018 Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico-CNPq: 09,905/2019-2, 406,463/2022-0 European Research Council: ABSTRAC-TION 101039777 Sapienza Excellence Projects: RG12117A5D1EB0B3 Research Projects of Relevant National Interest grant ASSO (Abstract conceptS and Social interactiOn): 2022YJA4TB Connell European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program: 682848 Crutch ESRC-NIHR: ES/S010467/1 Australian Research Council: DP200100127, DP220101853 NIH/NIDCD: R01 DC017162 NIH/NIA: R01 AG034138
PI Grant title / Grant organization.Bi STI2030-Major Project 2021ZD0204104; NSFC 31925020.Binder NIH/NIDCD R01 DC016622.Boggio CAPES (88,887.310255/2018) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico-CNPq (309,905/2019-2 and 406,463/2022-0).Bolognesi European Research Council Starting grant ABSTRAC-TION 101039777.Borghesani The Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research Evolving Language.Borghi Sapienza Excellence Projects, grant n. RG12117A5D1EB0B3; Research Projects of Relevant National Interest grant ASSO (Abstract conceptS and Social interactiOn) no. n. 2022YJA4TB.Connell European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (Grant Agreement 682848).Crutch ESRC-NIHR ES/S010467/1.de Zubicaray Australian Research Council Discovery Project Grant DP220101853, DP200100127.Desai NIH/NIDCD R01 DC017162.Diaz NIH/NIA R01 AG034138.Fedorenko NIH R01 DC016607, R01 DC016950, U01 NS121471.Hickcok NIA RF1NS050915.Hartwigsen European Research Council (ERC-2021-COG 101043747); German Research Foundation (DFG, HA 6314/4-2); Max Planck Society (Lise Meitner Excellence Funding).Hoffman BBSRC grant BB/T004444/1.Jefferies European Research Council Consolidator grant FLEXSEM 771863Kiran NIH 1R01DC020653; U01EB029856, R01DC016950.Kiefer German Research Foundation (DFG, DFG KI 804/8-1).Lupyan NSF-PAC 2020969.McRae NSERC Discovery Grant 05652.Montefinese Investment line 1.2, Funding projects presented by young researchers (CHILD CONTROL) from the European Union: NextGenerationEU.Papeo European Research Council Starting Grant Project 758,473-THEMPO.Pexman Natural Sciences and Engineering Council (NSERC) of Canada RGPIN-2018-03860.Reilly NIH/NIDCD R01 DC013063.Rodd UK Economic and Social Research Council ES/S009752/1 (SJC).Sandberg NIH/NIDCD R21 DC016708, R01 DC0174575.Vigliocco European Research Council Advanced Grant (ECOL-ANG, 743,035), Royal Society (WRM\R3\170016)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001306130800002
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85203261884
- Other Identifier
- 991021902494304721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Psychology, Experimental
- Psychology, Mathematical