The understanding of abstract concepts: a perspective from distributed models of conceptual representation

This theoretical article looks at the process of understanding abstract concepts from the perspective of distributed models of conceptual representation. According to these models, meanings of concepts are essentially componential; that is, the meaning of any concept is represented by small units of meaning, which are called semantic features. Based on these models, this article suggests that scope of interpretation and range of associated semantic features are two key differences between abstract and concrete concepts. While abstract concepts are interpreted within wide scopes and in association with large sets of semantic features, concrete concepts are interpreted within narrower scopes and in association with relatively smaller sets of semantic features. Extending the discussion into the metaphoric understanding of abstract concepts in terms of concrete concepts, it is suggested that when an abstract concept is processed, the activation of low-level sub-features may take place in a variety of ways.