To be or not to be? Linking linguistic negation and non-linguistic cognition

• Applicant: Dr. Carolin Dudschig
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
• Term: from 2019 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 419433647

Despite a growing number of studies investigating negation as a linguistic operator, essential questions regarding negation processing are largely unresolved at present. This project addresses two overarching research questions. First, the question regarding the continuity of cognition by investigating the shared mechanisms between linguistic and non-linguistic cognition. Second, the question regarding the role of sensorimotor processes in the understanding of complex linguistic operators (i.e. negation). Thus, this project aims to contribute to the clarification of two central research strands within cognitive psychology; namely, the question of the validity of the current language comprehension models and the associated general question about the similarity between linguistic and non-linguistic processing mechanisms. These questions will be addressed through three subordinate research objectives: (A) Non-Linguistic Mechanisms: Does negation integration fall back on or use mechanisms that are known from other types of information processing that are not typically regarded as core linguistic processes? Here, it will be closely investigated how general mechanisms well studied within experimental psychology (e.g. inhibition, control) are activated during negation processing. (B) Basic Negation: Does the negation operator alone show any impact on information processing and what is the nature of this impact? (C) Pre-Linguistic Relicts: Does negation processing activate specific aspects of behavioural relicts that potentially stem from pre-verbal actions of negating (e.g. pushing away behavioural tendencies; specific facial expressions)? Overall, it is expected that this project will move the understanding of negation processing forward by identifying specific mechanisms involved during negation integration. Thereby it is expected, that this project provides a significant contribution to the above mentioned central questions in cognitive psychology.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants