Grounded Cognition and Terminology: Exploring the role of motor simulation in processing concepts related to specialized knowledge
This study explores how prior sensory-motor experiences, related to occupational practice, facilitate access to domain-specific concepts and shape the processing of terminology. The objective is to investigate whether the mental representations involved in accessing specialized knowledge actively en...
Wedi'i Gadw mewn:
| Cyhoeddwyd yn: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/cognitextes, |
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| Prif Awduron: | , , |
| Fformat: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Iaith: | Anglais |
| Cyhoeddwyd: |
CogniTextes
2026
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| Pynciau: | |
| Mynediad Ar-lein: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Crynodeb: | This study explores how prior sensory-motor experiences, related to occupational practice, facilitate access to domain-specific concepts and shape the processing of terminology. The objective is to investigate whether the mental representations involved in accessing specialized knowledge actively engage motor simulation, and whether the nature of this engagement varies according to level of expertise. In the first experimental phase, qualitative and quantitative methods were combined. This phase involved linguistic analysis using the methodologies of Corpus Linguistics and Textual Terminology to extract terms related to dental occupational practice and compile a list of stimuli for subsequent experimentation. In the second phase, two groups—21 experienced dental surgeons and 21 students of dental medicine—performed a speeded lexical decision task under two conditions. The Free Posture condition was designed to assess the effect of expertise, while the motor interference condition aimed to investigate the role of motor simulation. A Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) was used to analyse response times. The results reveal unexpected differences between the two groups, with experts responding more slowly than students when processing specialized terms in the Free Posture condition. Additionally, no statistically significant difference was observed in the experts’ responses between the two conditions, suggesting that the motor interference task did not influence their performance. These findings underscore the complexity of motor simulation in the context of specialized terminology and raise questions about the task-dependent nature of motor simulation of experts. |
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