What does Neuroscience have to tell us (or not yet) about metaphor processing?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-7726.2018.1.28895Keywords:
Processing metaphor, Neuroscience, fMRI, Meta-analysisAbstract
Neuroimaging research on the processing of metaphor presents different findings, which implies difficulties in formulating a theoretical paradigm of the metaphor in a neurological perspective. In this study, we argue that the lack of clarity of conceptual aspects about metaphor from a linguistic perspective implies diversities in the experiments design and incongruities in the findings. To support this argument, we present a qualitative meta-analysis of a corpus composed of 20 fMRI experiments on the processing of metaphor, under two aspects: the conceptual foundations of metaphor and the findings obtained in the experiments. As a result, we find that the absence of a dialogue between Neuroscience and Linguistics about the metaphor properties results in a problematic delimitation of a metaphor processing pattern under a neurological bias.
Downloads
References
AHRENS, Kathleen; LIU, Ho-Ling; LEE, Chia-Ying; GONG, Shu-Ping; FANG, Shin-Yi; HSU, Yuan-Yu. Functional MRI of conventional and anomalous metaphors in Mandarin Chinese. Brain and Language, v. 100, n. 2, p. 163-171, fev. 2007.
BAMBINI, Valentina; GENTILI, Claudio; RICCIARDI, Emiliano; BERTINETTO, Pier M.; PIETRINI, Pietro. Decomposing metaphor processing at the cognitive and neural level trough functional magnetic resonance imaging. Brain Research Bulletin, v. 86, n. 3, p. 203-216, out. 2011.
BEEMAN, Mark. Coarse semantic coding and discourse comprehension. In: BEEMAN, Mark; CHIARELLO, Christine (ed.). Right hemisphere language comprehension: perspectives from cognitive neuroscience. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1998. p. 225-284.
CARDILLO, Eileen R.; WATSON, Christine E.; SCHMIDT, Gwenda L.; KRANJEC, Alexander; CHATTERJEE, Anjan. From novel to familiar: Tuning the brain for metaphors. NeuroImage, v. 59, n. 4, p. 3212-3221, fev. 2012.
DIAZ, Michele T.; BARRET, Kyle T.; HOGTSROM, Larson J. The influence of sentence novelty and figurativeness on brain activity. Neuropsychologia, v. 49, n. 3, p. 320-330, fev. 2011.
DIAZ, Michele T.; HOGSTROM, Larson J. The influence of context on hemispheric recruitment during metaphor processing. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, v. 23, n. 11, p. 3586-3597, nov. 2011.
FERSTL, Evelyn C. The functional neuroanatomy of text comprehension: what’s the story so far? In: SCHMALHOFER, Franz; PERFETTI, Charles A. Higher Level Language in the Brain: Inference and Comprehension Processes. London: Psychology Press, 2012. p. 53-102.
FODOR, Jerry A.; PYLYSHYN, Zenon W. Connectionism and cognitive architecture: a critical analysis. Cognition, v. 28, p. 3-71, mar. 1988.
GENTNER, Dedre; BOWDLE, Brian F. Metaphor as structuremapping. In: GIBBS, Raymond W (Ed.). The Cambridge handbook of metaphor and thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. p. 109-128.
GIORA, Rachel. Understanding figurative and literal language: The graded salience hypothesis. Cognitive Linguistics, v. 8, n. 3, p. 183-206, an.1997.
GIORA, Rachel, ZAINDEL, Eran, SOROKER, Nachum, BATORI, Gila; KASHER, Asa. Differential effects of rightandleft-hemispheric damage on understanding sarcasm and metaphor. Metaphor and Symbol, v. 15, p. 63-83, 2000.
GLUCKSBERG, Sam. How metaphors create categories, quickly. In: GIBBS, Raymond W (Ed.). The Cambridge handbook of metaphor and thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. p. 67-84.
GLUCKSBERG, Sam; KEYSAR, Boaz. Understanding metaphorical comparisons: beyond similarity. Psychological Review, v. 97, n.1, p. 3-18, jan. 1990.
GLUCKSBERG, Sam; MACGLONE, Matthew; MANFREDI, Deanna. Property attribution in metaphor comprehension. Journal of Memory and Language, v. 36, n. 1, p. 50-67, jan. 1997.
JUNG-BEEMAN, Mark. Bilateral brain processes for comprehending natural language. Trends in Cognitive Science, n. 9, v. 11, p. 712-718, nov. 005.
JUST, Marcel A.; VARMA, Sashank. The organization of thinking: What functional brain imaging reveals about the neuroarchitecture of complex cognition. Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience, v. 7, n. 3, p. 153-191, set. 2007.
KASPARIAN, Kristina. Hemispheric differences in figurative language processing: contributions of neuroimaging methods and challenges in reconciling current empirical findings. Journal of Neurolinguistics, v. 26, n. 1, p. 1-21, jan. 2013.
LAIRD, Angela R.; FOX, P. Michele; EICKHOFF, Simon B.; TURNER, Jessica A.; RAY, Kimberly L.; MCKAY, D. Reese; GLAHN, David C.; BECKMANN, Christian F.; SMITH, Stephen M.; FOX, Peter T. Behavioral Interpretations of Intrinsic Connectivity Networks. Fox Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, v. 23, n. 12, p. 4022-4037, dez. 2011.
LAIRD, Angela R.; FOX, P. Michele; PRICE, Cathy J.; GLAHN, David C.; ECKER, Angela M.; LANCASTER, Jack L.; TURKELTAUB, Peter E.; KOCHUNOV, Peter; FOX, Peter T. ALE meta-analysis: Controlling the false discovery rate and performing statistical contrasts. Human Brain Mapping, v. 25, n. 1, p. 155-164, maio 2005.
LEE, Susan S.; DAPRETTO, Mirella. Metaphorical vs. literal word meanings: fMRI evidence against a selective role of the right hemisphere. NeuroImage, v. 29, n. 2, p. 536-544, jan. 2006.
MASHAL, Nira; FAUST, Miriam; HENDLER, Talma. The role of the right hemisphere in processing nonsalient metaphorical meanings: Application of principal components analysis to fMRI data. Neuropsychologia, v. 43, n. 14, p. 2084-2100, abr. 2005.
MASHAL, Nira; FAUST, Miriam; HENDLER, Talma; JUNGBEEMAN, Mark. An FMRI investigation of the neural correlates underlying the processing of novel metaphoric expressions. Brain and Language, v. 100, n. 2, p. 115-126, fev. 2007.
MASHAL, Nira; FAUST, Miriam; HENDLER, Talma; JUNG-BEEMAN, Mark. An fMRI study of processing novel metaphoric sentences. Laterality, v. 14, n. 1, p. 30-54, jan. 2009.
PRAT, Chantel S.; MASON, Robert A.; JUST, Marcel A. Individual differences in the neural basis of causal inferencing. Brain and Language, v. 116, n. 1, p. 1-13, jan. 2011.
RAPP, Alexander M.; LEUBE, Dirk T.; ERB, Michael; GRODD, Wolfgang; KIRCHER, Tilo T. J. Neural correlates of metaphor processing. Cognitive Brain Research, v. 20, n. 3, p. 395-402, ago. 2004.
RAPP, Alexander M.; LEUBE, Dirk T.; ERB, Michael; GRODD, Wolfgang; KIRCHER, Tilo T. J. Laterality in metaphor processing: Lack of evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging for the right hemisphere theory. Brain and Language, v. 100, n. 2, p. 142-149, fev. 2007.
RAPP, Alexander M.; MUTSCHLER, Dorothee E.; ERB, Michael Erb. Where in the brain is nonliteral language? A coordinate-based meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. NeuroImage, v. 63, n. 1, p. 600-610, out. 2012.
SHIBATA, Midori; ABE, JJun-ichi; TERAO, Atsushi; MIYAMOTO, Tamaki. Neural mechanisms involved in the comprehension of metaphoric and literal sentences: An fMRI study. Brain Research, v. 1166, p. 92-102, ago. 2007.
SHIBATA, Midori; TOYOMURA, Akira; MOTOYAMA, Hiroki; ITOH, Hiroaki; KAWABATA, Yasuhiro; ABE, Junichi. Does simile comprehension differ from metaphor comprehension? A functional MRI study. Brain and Language, v. 121, n. 3, p. 254-260, jun. 2012.
SCHMIDT, Gwenda; SEGER, Carol A. Neural correlates of metaphor processing: the roles of figurativeness, familiarity and difficulty. Brain and Cognition, v. 71, n. 3, p. 375-386, dez. 2009.
STRINGARIS, Argyris K.; MEDFORD, Nicholas C.; GIAMPIETRO, Vincent; BRAMMER, Michael J.; DAVID, Anthony S. Deriving meaning: Distinct neural mechanisms for metaphoric, literal, and non-meaningful sentences. Brain and Language, v. 100, n. 2, p. 150-162, fev. 2007.
STRINGARIS, Argyris K.; MEDFORD, Nicholas C.; GIORA, Rachel; GIAMPIETRO, Vincent C.; BRAMMER, Michael J.; DAVID, Anthony S. How metaphors influence semantic relatedness judgments: The role of the right frontal cortex. NeuroImage, v. 33, n. 2, p. 784-793, nov. 2006.
SUBRAMANIAM, Karuna; FAUST, Miriam; BEEMAN, Mark; MASHAL, Nira. The repetition paradigm: Enhancement of novel metaphors and suppression of conventional metaphors in the left inferior parietal lobe. Neuropsychologia, v. 50, n. 12, p. 2705-2719, out. 2012.
SUBRAMANIAM, Karuna; FAUST, Miriam; BEEMAN, Mark; MASHAL, Nira. Positively valenced stimuli facilitate creative novel metaphoric processes by enhancing medial prefrontal cortical activation. Frontiers in Psychology, v. 4, n. 211, abr. 2013.
YANG, Fanpei G.; EDENS, Jennifer; SIMPSON, Claire; KRAWCZYK, Daniel C. Differences in task demands influence the hemispheric lateralization and neural correlates of metaphor. Brain and Language, v. 111, n. 2, p. 114-124, nov. 2009.
YANG, Jie. The role of the right hemisphere in metaphor comprehension: A meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. Human Brain Mapping, v. 35, n. 1, p. 107-122, jan. 2014.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright
The submission of originals to Letras de Hoje implies the transfer by the authors of the right for publication. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication. If the authors wish to include the same data into another publication, they must cite Letras de Hoje as the site of original publication.
Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise specified, material published in this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, which allows unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is correctly cited.
