In defense of abstract conceptual representations
In defense of abstract conceptual representations
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DOI：
10.3758/s13423-015-0909-1
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发表时间：
2016-08-01
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Binder, Jeffrey R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Binder, Jeffrey R.
在过去的20年里，一个广泛的研究项目集中在模态感觉、运动和情感脑系统在概念知识的存储和检索中的作用。在一些圈子里，这种关注导致了对语义认知中更抽象、超模态概念表征的需求的低估。超模态处理的证据来自于神经成像工作，记录了一个大的、定义明确的皮层网络，它对有意义的刺激作出反应，而不管模态内容如何。该网络中的节点对应于高级“汇聚区”，这些区域接收广泛的跨模态输入，并可能处理跨模态连接。本文提出了几个关键功能需要高度合取表示，包括捕获概念相似结构，启用独立于概念相似的主题关联关系，以及为需要将概念配置为情境的一系列高阶任务提供有效的概念表示“分块”。这些假设的功能解释了广泛的神经成像结果，显示了通过联想强度、词性、熟悉度、可想象性、频率和语义组合性来调节超模态收敛区网络。证据支持知识表征的层次模型，其中模态系统为概念获取提供了机制，并为外部现实中的个体概念奠定了基础，而广义连接、超模态表征在概念关联和情境知识中发挥了同等重要的作用。
An extensive program of research in the past 2 decades has focused on the role of modal sensory, motor, and affective brain systems in storing and retrieving concept knowledge. This focus has led in some circles to an underestimation of the need for more abstract, supramodal conceptual representations in semantic cognition. Evidence for supramodal processing comes from neuroimaging work documenting a large, well-defined cortical network that responds to meaningful stimuli regardless of modal content. The nodes in this network correspond to high-level "convergence zones" that receive broadly crossmodal input and presumably process crossmodal conjunctions. It is proposed that highly conjunctive representations are needed for several critical functions, including capturing conceptual similarity structure, enabling thematic associative relationships independent of conceptual similarity, and providing efficient "chunking" of concept representations for a range of higher order tasks that require concepts to be configured as situations. These hypothesized functions account for a wide range of neuroimaging results showing modulation of the supramodal convergence zone network by associative strength, lexicality, familiarity, imageability, frequency, and semantic compositionality. The evidence supports a hierarchical model of knowledge representation in which modal systems provide a mechanism for concept acquisition and serve to ground individual concepts in external reality, whereas broadly conjunctive, supramodal representations play an equally important role in concept association and situation knowledge.