The question of whether language affects perception has been debated largely on the basis cross-language data, without considering functional organization brain. nature this neural predicts that, if perception, it should do so more in right visual field than left field, an idea unexamined debate. Here, we find support for proposal lateralized color discrimination tasks. Reaction times to targets were faster when target and distractor colors had different names; contrast, reaction not...

The nature of color categories in the world's languages is contested. One major view holds that are organized around universal focal colors, whereas an opposing instead defined at their boundaries by linguistic convention. Both these standardly opposed views challenged existing data. Here, we argue for a third based on proposal Jameson and D'Andrade [Jameson KA, RG (1997) Color Categories Thought Language, eds Hardin CL, Maffi L (Cambridge Univ Press, Cambridge, U.K.), pp 295-319]: naming...

Languages vary in their systems of kinship categories, but the scope possible variation appears to be constrained. Previous accounts kin classification have often emphasized constraints that are specific domain and not derived from general principles. Here, we propose an account is founded on two domain-general principles: Good categories simple, they enable informative communication. We show computationally world's languages achieve a near-optimal trade-off between these competing also our...

Significance Semantic typology documents and explains how languages vary in their structuring of meaning. Information theory provides a formal model communication that includes precise definition efficient compression. We show color-naming systems across achieve near-optimal compression this principle much the variation languages. These findings suggest possible process for color category evolution synthesizes continuous discrete aspects previous accounts. The generality suggests it may also...

Crosslinguistic research on domains including kinship, color, folk biology, number, and spatial relations has documented the different ways in which languages carve up world into named categories. Although word meanings vary widely across languages, unrelated often have words with similar or identical meanings, many logically possible are never observed. We review suggesting that this pattern of constrained variation is explained part by need for to support efficient communication. This...

The existence of cross-linguistic universals in color naming is currently contested. Early empirical studies, based principally on languages industrialized societies, suggested that all may draw a universally shared repertoire categories. Recent work, contrast, from nonindustrialized has categories not be universal. No comprehensive objective tests have yet been conducted to resolve this issue. We conduct such data both and societies show strong universal tendencies exist across sorts language.

It is widely held that named color categories in the world's languages are organized around universal focal colors and these tend to be chosen as best examples of terms across languages. However, this notion has been supported primarily by data from industrialized societies. In contrast, recent research on a language nonindustrialized society called idea into question. We examine color-naming 110 societies show (i) best-example choices for cluster near prototypes English white, black, red,...

The present paper grounds the linguistic cdategorization of space in aspects visual perception; specifically, structure projective spatial terms such as above are grounded process attention and vector-sum coding overall direction. This is formalized attentional (AVS) model. computational model accurately predicts acceptability judgments for terms, under a variety configurations. In 7 experiments, predictions AVS tested against those 3 competing models. results support disconfirm its...

Both adults and infants are faster at discriminating between two colors from different categories than the same category, even when between- within-category chromatic separation sizes equated. For adults, this categorical perception (CP) is lateralized; category effect stronger for right visual field (RVF)–left hemisphere (LH) left (LVF)–right (RH). Converging evidence suggests that LH bias in color CP caused by influence of lexical codes LH. The current study investigates whether...

Children improve at word learning during the 2nd year of life-sometimes dramatically. This fact has suggested a change in mechanism, from associative to more referential form learning. article presents an exemplar-based model that accounts for improvement without mechanism. It provides unified account children's growing abilities (a) learn new given only 1 or few training trials ("fast mapping"); (b) acquire words differ slightly phonological form; (c) generalize meanings preferentially...

S.A. Sloman's (1996) intriguing argument for separate associative and rule-based reasoning systems is unfortunately damaged by a certain amount of slack in the distinction he makes between these two posited mental mechanisms.The authors suggest that could be sharpened overt reference to explicit models processing.They also point out "simultaneous contradictory belief," which Sloman takes as evidence systems, need not interpreted this fashion.It may signal number other things, including...

We investigate a possible universal constraint on spatial meaning. It has been proposed that people attend preferentially to the endpoints of motion events, and languages may therefore make finer semantic distinctions at event than beginnings. test this proposal. In Experiment 1, we show discriminate events more readily they do beginnings-suggesting non-linguistic attentional bias toward endpoints. 2, speakers Arabic, Chinese, English each described set displayed in video clips. Although...

The Whorf hypothesis holds that differences between languages induce in perception and/or cognition their speakers. Much of the experimental work pursuing this idea has focused on domain color and centered issue whether linguistically coded categories influence discrimination. A new perspective been cast debate by recent results suggest language influences discrimination strongly right visual field but not left (LVF). This asymmetry is likely related to contralateral projection fields...

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis holds that our thoughts are shaped by native language, and speakers of different languages therefore think differently. This is controversial in part because it appears to deny the possibility a universal groundwork for human cognition, some findings taken support have not reliably replicated. We argue considering this through lens probabilistic inference has potential resolve both issues, at least with respect certain prominent domain color cognition. explore...

The claim that Eskimo languages have words for different types of snow is well-known among the public, but has been greatly exaggerated through popularization and therefore viewed with skepticism by many scholars language. Despite prominence this claim, to our knowledge line reasoning behind it not tested broadly across languages. Here, we note a special case more general view language shaped need efficient communication, empirically test variant against multiple sources data, including...

Categorical perception (CP) of color is the faster and more accurate discrimination two colors from different categories than same category, even when same- different-category chromatic separations are equated. In adults, CP lateralized to left hemisphere (LH), whereas in infants, it right (RH). There evidence that LH bias adults due influence terms LH. Here we show RH switch occurs words distinguish relevant category boundary learned. A colored target was shown either left- or right-visual...