title: Language and vertical space: on the automaticity of language action interconnections.
abstract: Grounded models of language processing propose a strong connection between language and sensorimotor processes (Barsalou, 1999, 2008; Glenberg & Kaschak, 2002). However, it remains unclear how functional and automatic these connections are for understanding diverse sets of words (Ansorge, Kiefer, Khalid, Grassl, & König, 2010). Here, we investigate whether words referring to entities with a typical location in the upper or lower visual field (e.g., sun, ground) automatically influence subsequent motor responses even when language-processing levels are kept minimal. The results show that even subliminally presented words influence subsequent actions, as can be seen in a reversed compatibility effect. These finding have several implications for grounded language processing models. Specifically, these results suggest that language-action interconnections are not only the result of strategic language processes, but already play an important role during pre-attentional language processing stages.
authors.affiliation: Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. Electronic address: carolin.dudschig@uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dudschig
authors.affiliation: Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Irmgard
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: de la Vega
authors.affiliation: Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Filippis
authors.affiliation: Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kaup
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Action; Automaticity; Embodiment; Language; Space