ArticleFrontiers in psychology2021
Development of Abstract Word Knowledge.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- What is so hard about abstract words, anyways? A neuromechanistic explanation using brain-constrained neural network models.Cognitive neurodynamics · 2026Article
- Implicit imagery tasks facilitate learning in declarative memory: Congruence between imagery modality and verb type enhances recognition.Memory & cognition · 2026Article
- The effects of contextual diversity on lexical processing: A scoping review.Psychonomic bulletin & review · 2025Article
- Impact of pacifier use and parenting characteristics on toddlers' vocabulary development.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Word meaning types acquired before vs. after age 5: implications for education.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Concepts, abstractness and inner speech.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2023Review
- Rethinking the role of language in embodied cognition.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2023Review
- Consensus Paper: Current Perspectives on Abstract Concepts and Future Research Directions.Journal of cognition · 2023Article
- Consensus Paper: Situated and Embodied Language Acquisition.Journal of cognition · 2023Article
- Abstract concepts: external influences, internal constraints, and methodological issues.Psychological research · 2022Review
- Abstract Concepts, Social Interaction, and Beliefs.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
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3 authors.
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Abstract
The development of children's word knowledge is an important testing ground for the embodied account of word meaning, which proposes that word meanings are grounded in sensorimotor systems. Acquisition of abstract words, in particular, is a noted challenge for strong accounts of embodiment. We examined acquisition of abstract word meanings, using data on development of vocabulary knowledge from early school to University ages. We tested two specific proposals for how abstract words are learned: the affective embodiment account, that emotional experience is key to learning abstract word meanings, and the learning through language proposal, that abstract words are acquired through language experience. We found support for the affective embodiment account: word valence, interoception, and mouth action all facilitated abstract word acquisition more than concrete word acquisition. We tested the learning through language proposal by investigating whether words that appear in more diverse linguistic contexts are earlier acquired. Results showed that contextual diversity facilitated vocabulary acquisition, but did so for both abstract and concrete words. Our results provide evidence that emotion and sensorimotor systems are important to children's acquisition of abstract words, but there is still considerable variance to be accounted for by other factors. We offer suggestions for future research to examine the acquisition of abstract vocabulary.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.