NewAbstractConcepts: A Database of 42 Normed Abstract Concepts and Exemplars.

Recently, researchers have expressed challenges in conducting word-learning experiments in adult populations due to limited availability of normed stimulus materials. This constraint often prompts the use of low-frequency or low-prevalence words, introducing the potential influence of prior knowledge or direct translation to familiar words. In response, we developed novel abstract concepts devoid of word referents, providing better control over prior knowledge. These new concepts describe situations encountered in various settings for which there is no existing word in English. The resulting database comprises 42 normed New Abstract Concepts, offering unique materials structured through scenarios, each containing similar and dissimilar exemplars. These materials underwent meticulous norming for relatability and similarity levels across a series of studies. The success of our approach was demonstrated in a word-learning experiment examining the effects of similarity and diversity. The database serves as a valuable resource for selecting stimuli in experiments exploring the learning of abstract semantic concepts, particularly investigating the role of similarity versus diversity in concept learning. The database is available on OSF (https://osf.io/svm2p/).

Automatic mental simulation in native and non-native speakers.

Pictures of objects are verified faster when they match the implied orientation, shape, and color in a sentence-picture verification task, suggesting that people mentally simulate these features during language comprehension. Previous studies had an unintended correlation between match status and the required response, which may have influenced participants' responses by eliciting strategic use of this correlation. We removed this correlation by including color-matching filler trials and investigated if the color-match effect was still obtained. In both a native sample (Experiment 1) and a non-native sample (Experiment 2), we found strong evidence for a color-match advantage on median reaction time and error rates. Our results are consistent with the view that color is automatically simulated during language comprehension as predicted by the grounded cognition framework.