Metaphor comprehension: How metaphors create new categories.

Machine learning techniques have realized some principal cognitive functionalities such as nonlinear generalization and causal model construction, as far as huge amount of data are available. A next frontier for cognitive modelling would be the ability of humans to transfer past knowledge to novel, ongoing experience, making analogies from the known to the unknown. Novel metaphor comprehension may be considered as an example of such transfer learning and analogical reasoning that can be empirically tested in a relatively straightforward way. Based on some concepts inherent in category theory, we implement a model of metaphor comprehension called the theory of indeterminate natural transformation (TINT), and test its descriptive validity of humans' metaphor comprehension. We simulate metaphor comprehension with two models: one being structure-ignoring, and the other being structure-respecting. The former is a sub-TINT model, while the latter is the minimal-TINT model. As the required input to the TINT models, we gathered the association data from human participants to construct the ``latent category'' for TINT, which is a complete weighted directed graph. To test the validity of metaphor comprehension by the TINT models, we conducted an experiment that examines how humans comprehend a metaphor. While the sub-TINT does not show any significant correlation, the minimal-TINT shows significant correlations with the human data. It suggests that we can capture metaphor comprehension processes in a quite bottom-up manner realized by TINT.

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A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on metaphor comprehension in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: Do task properties matter?

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s0142716419000328 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (6) ◽

pp. 1421-1454 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Tamar Kalandadze ◽

Valentina Bambini ◽

Kari-Anne B. Næss

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Syntactic Structure ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Response Format ◽

Metaphor Comprehension ◽

The Relationship

AbstractIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience difficulty in comprehending metaphors compared to individuals with typical development (TD). However, there is a large variation in the results across studies, possibly related to the properties of the metaphor tasks. This preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis (a) explored the properties of the metaphor tasks used in ASD research, and (b) investigated the group difference between individuals with ASD and TD on metaphor comprehension, as well as the relationship between the task properties and any between-study variation. A systematic search was undertaken in seven relevant databases. Fourteen studies fulfilled our predetermined inclusion criteria. Across tasks, we detected four types of response format and a great variety of metaphors in terms of familiarity, syntactic structure, and linguistic context. Individuals with TD outperformed individuals with ASD on metaphor comprehension (Hedges’ g = −0.63). Verbal explanation response format was utilized in the study showing the largest effect size in the group comparison. However, due to the sparse experimental manipulations, the role of task properties could not be established. Future studies should consider and report task properties to determine their role in metaphor comprehension, and to inform experimental paradigms as well as educational assessment.

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The importance of being apt: metaphor comprehension in Alzheimer's disease

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnhum.2014.00973 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Carlos Roncero ◽

Roberto G. de Almeida

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Metaphor Comprehension

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Metaphor comprehension in Alzheimer’s disease: Novelty matters

Brain and Language ◽

10.1016/j.bandl.2007.08.003 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 107 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Martina Amanzio ◽

Giuliano Geminiani ◽

Daniela Leotta ◽

Stefano Cappa

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Metaphor Comprehension

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Cognitive Effort and Effects in Metaphor Comprehension: Relevance Theory and Psycholinguistics

Mind & Language ◽

10.1111/j.1468-0017.2006.00283.x ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 379-403 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

RAYMOND W. GIBBS ◽

MARKUS TENDAHL

Keyword(s):

Relevance Theory ◽

Cognitive Effort ◽

Metaphor Comprehension

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Understanding how time flies and what it means to be on cloud nine: English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners’ metaphor comprehension

Journal of Child Language ◽

10.1017/s0305000918000399 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 265-291 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Annina K. HESSEL ◽

Victoria A. MURPHY

Keyword(s):

Reading Comprehension ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Primary School ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Vocabulary Knowledge ◽

Reasoning Task ◽

Metaphor Comprehension ◽

Younger Age ◽

Years Of Schooling

AbstractWe explored the vocabulary and metaphor comprehension of learners of English as an additional language (EAL) in the first two years of UK primary school. EAL vocabulary knowledge is believed to be a crucial predictor of (reading) comprehension and educational attainment (Murphy, 2018). The vocabulary of five- to seven-year-old children with EAL was compared to that of English monolinguals (N = 80). Comprehension was assessed for both verbal (e.g., time flies) and nominal metaphors (be on cloud nine) of varying frequency. Results showed that children in year 2 (age six to seven years) had better comprehension than their younger (age five to six) peers, particularly for low-frequency metaphors. Children with EAL had weaker metaphor comprehension than their monolingual peers, particularly on a reasoning task. The results document how metaphor comprehension develops over the first critical years of schooling and indicates where learners with EAL differ from monolingual peers, thereby supporting targeted vocabulary teaching at primary schools.

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