Words and pictures : the effect of labelling on visual object processing

This thesis examines the structure of mental representations as well as the impact of labelling on visual object processing. A first set of six experiments examines conceptual structure of established categories using eye-tracking and ERP methodologies. A subsequent series of four experiments examines formation of novel concepts and the effect of labelling in category learning using the same methodologies. Results with familiar objects, animates and inanimates, suggest a unitary model of semantic representation, rather than modality-specific model of conceptual organisation and provides an explanation for seemingly contradictory findings in literature, whereby differences in processing animate and inanimate objects could in fact be explained by intra-group item variability and structural similarity within the two categories. The second set of studies revealed that given a set of new objects, and equal exp~rience categOlizing them, people who learn names for the categories are better able to categorize them. Eye-tracking categorisation studies demonstrated that labels can facilitate category learning by acting as additional cues, whereas ERP studies demonstrated that specific labels can advance categorisation even further when there is sound-symbolic congruence between label and object properties.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo