Linguistic Bootstrapping Allows More Real-world Object Concepts to Be Held in Mind

• DOI: 10.1525/collabra.40171
• Publication Date: 2022-11-16T19:28:12Z
• Authors: Agata Dymarska; Louise Connell; Briony Banks
• Keywords: Bootstrapping (finance); Representation

The linguistic-simulation approach to cognition predicts that language can enable more efficient conceptual processing than purely sensorimotor-affective simulations of concepts. We tested the implications this in memory for sequences real-world objects, where use linguistic labels (i.e., words and phrases) could representation object concepts via full sensorimotor simulation; a proposal called bootstrapping. In three pre-registered experiments using nonverbal paradigm, we asked participants remember contextually-situated, objects (e.g., ingredients recipe), later them select correct from arrays distractors. Critically, used articulatory suppression selectively suppress implicit activation labels, which predicted would impair performance by reducing number be held mind simultaneously. found suppressing access when learning impaired accuracy recognition, though not latency, impairment was simply dual-task load. Results show sequence up 10 contextually-situated is inhibited, but increases 12 available. findings support bootstrapping hypothesis representing familiar normally relies on language, implicitly-retrieved as placeholders, increase simultaneously represented beyond what information alone accomplish.