Modality-Specific Sensory Norms: A New Window Into Semantic Organisation

Abstract

In this chapter we will give a brief overview of the research that emphasized the importance of perceptual information in the structure and function of semantic knowledge. We will then describe a recently developed approach in operationalizing conceptual representations that relies on the relevance of perceptual information. The core of this approach builds upon word concreteness (the extent of perceptual experience with an object denoted by a word) and further elaborates it by estimating perceptual experience across separate sensory modalities (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory). We will summarize the data collected in several languages that converge to show the structure of perceptual space within the semantic system. Finally, we will propose to use this approach as a novel way of obtaining insights into the structure of the semantic systems of special populations. Here, we will focus on language of individuals with schizophrenia, but we will suggest that it can be used in general.