Abstract Lexical ambiguity is pervasive in language, and the nature of the representations of an ambiguous word’s multiple meanings is yet to be fully understood. With a special focus on Chinese characters, the present study first established that native speaker’s perception about a character’s number of meanings was heavily influenced by the availability of its […]

Abstract Perception is not an independent, in-the-moment event. Instead, perceiving involves integrating prior expectations with current observations. How does this ability develop from infancy through adulthood? We examined how prior visual experience shapes visual perception in infants, children, and adults. Using an identical task across age groups, we exposed participants to pairs of colorful stimuli […]

The new approach in cognitive science largely known as “4E cognition” (embodied/embedded/enactive/extended cognition), which sheds new light on the complex dynamics of human consciousness, seems to revive some of Aristotle’s views. For instance, the concept of “nature” (phusis) and the discussion on “active intellect” (nous poiêtikos) may be particularly relevant in this respect. Out of […]