EFFECT OF SPATIAL PRIMING ON AFFECTIVE CONCEPTS ACCESS: A LEXICAL DECISION AND REACTION TIMES STUDY

Background: The organization of the human conceptual system is a central issue for cognitive sciences. Conceptual Metaphors Theory, proposed that this system is fundamentally metaphorical, based on the description of linguistic data that systematically linked concrete concepts with abstract ones. However, advances in neurosciences and cognitive psychology confronted the theory with new challenges. Intending to inspect two aspects that still controversial; the psychological reality and the cross-linguistic validity of conceptual metaphors, the present study examines the relation between verticality and affective concepts. Methods: A spatial concept (verticality) was primed before words with positive and negative affective information (valence) were presented. A sample of 41 participants performed a lexical-decision task in Spanish with, while reaction times were recorded. Results: Statistical analysis showed a significant interaction effect between position and valence, in a way that was coherent with the description provided by conceptual metaphors. Discussion: The findings of the present study give support to the main assumptions of this theory. However, they demonstrated as well that this field of investigation is far to a conclusion and further developments with appropriate research approaches can still deliver helpful information for central questions in cognitive sciences.