A popular notion in psychology today is that cognition is embodied, such that the physical body and its interaction with the environment actively shape cognitive processes. According to one theory of embodied cognition, Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980; 1999), people understand abstract concepts in terms of more concrete, physical domains. A conceptual metaphor that has been examined empirically is the GOOD IS UP conceptual metaphor (e.g., Meier & Robinson, 2004). This conceptual metaphor consists of an association between valence (good and bad) and verticality (up and down). The current project aimed to investigate whether the GOOD IS UP conceptual metaphor influences impression formation processes. This project consisted of four experiments in which reaction time, memory, and target evaluations were measured as dependent variables. Experiment 1 examined whether the vertical location of behavioural information influenced reaction time, memory, and target evaluations. Experiment 2A examined whether the vertical location of trait words influenced reaction time. Experiment 2B examined whether the vertical location of trait words influenced memory and target evaluations. Experiment 3 examined the reproducibility of Meier and Robinson's (2004) original effect. Across the set of experiments, I hypothesised that the vertical location of the stimuli would influence reaction time, memory, and target evaluations in metaphor-consistent ways. However, this hypothesis was not supported. The current climate in psychological science is now beginning both to emphasise the importance of negative results and to encourage replication. The findings of the present project are discussed within this changing climate, which will better serve the development and refinement of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. Despite the negative results (i.e., p > .05), the four experiments are informative and provide direction for future research on conceptual metaphor and embodied cognition.
Date of Award | 2016 |
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Original language | English |
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- psychophysiology
- cognition
- memory
- reaction time
The embodiment of "good" and "bad" via vertical space : an investigation of conceptual metaphor in impression formation
McMullan, R. D. (Author). 2016
Western Sydney University thesis: Doctoral thesis