Papers by Omid Khatinzadeh
Behavioral Sciences
In this paper, we classify metaphors into four categories: motion-based metaphors, static space-b... more In this paper, we classify metaphors into four categories: motion-based metaphors, static space-based metaphors, static object-based metaphors, and static event-based metaphors. Then, a study that investigated the use of gestures with these types of metaphors is reported. The aim was to examine how these types of metaphors are used with metaphoric and beat gestures during the process of re-telling stories. The participants of the study listened to three audio stories. Each story contained two motion-based metaphors, two static space-based metaphors, two static object-based metaphors, and two static event-based metaphors. After listening to each story, they had to retell the stories in front of a camera. The videos were analyzed to determine the number of metaphoric gestures and beat gestures that had been used by participants during the retelling of the stories. The results showed that the highest number of metaphoric gestures had been used with static space-based metaphors. This wa...
When a metaphor is primed with another metaphor, comprehender’s interpretation of the second meta... more When a metaphor is primed with another metaphor, comprehender’s interpretation of the second metaphor might undergo dramatic changes. How metaphor comprehension is influenced by the prime depends on the type of information provided in the prime. Several previous studies such as Gernsbacher et al. (1995), Glucksberg et al. (1997), and Glucksberg et al. (2001) have found that metaphor prime facilitated the understanding of metaphor-relevant probe sentences. The present study aimed to examine how a metaphor prime impacts on the second language learners’ comprehension of metaphoric statements. Participants of the study were a group of 30 undergraduate students in the English Department of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. Half of the participants were English Translation students and the other half were English Literature students. Two tests of metaphor comprehension and a metaphor judgment test were designed. In the first part of test one, each metaphor was preceded by a literal prim...
This study aimed to investigate patterns of encoding motion events in the sentences of „Reading C... more This study aimed to investigate patterns of encoding motion events in the sentences of „Reading Comprehension‟ sections of English textbooks that are taught in Iranian guidance schools and high schools. To achieve this objective, all sentences that described motion events were collected from textbooks. These sentences were examined on the basis of two factors: 1) The encoding of Figure, Manner, Path, Source, Goal, Cause, and Ground; 2) Metaphorical description of non-motion events in terms of motion events. Based on the obtained results, it was concluded that sentences of these books are the simplified versions of typical English sentences that are used to describe motion events. In other words, these sentences minimize the details of motion events and do not offer a complete picture of such events. Regarding the use of metaphors to describe non-motion events in terms of motion events, the obtained results showed that metaphors are underused in English textbooks that are taught in I...
Discover Psychology, 2021
The aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive processes involved in cloze passage and ca... more The aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive processes involved in cloze passage and causal pattern tests. Two tests of causal patterns (one in Persian and one in English) and a cloze test were administered among a group of 30 participants. Correlations between participants’ scores were calculated. The results showed that there was a significant correlation between participants’ scores in each pair of the three tests. These results suggest that there might be similarity between causal pattern test and cloze test in terms of cognitive resources and cognitive operations that are employed during answering items of these tests. These similarities are described on the basis of distributed models of conceptual representation. Furthermore, it is proposed that there are some similarities between the strategies that can be employed by test takers to find the correct answers in these two types of test. The individuals who are better in simultaneous activation of various semantic pro...
The aim of this article is to discuss three challenges to the so-called “strong” versions of embo... more The aim of this article is to discuss three challenges to the so-called “strong” versions of embodiment. The strong versions of embodied cognition (SVEC) have been successful in explaining how concrete concepts (e.g., pencil) may be understood based on sensory processes, yet they have failed to offer a comprehensive understanding of abstract concepts (e.g., freedom). In this regard, this article pinpoints three areas where the SVEC face limitations. First, the SVEC fail to fully support the active or passive perspective that an agent may assume when processing abstract concepts via embodied metaphorical representations. Second, the SVEC do not offer a compelling explanation for three different types of mental simulation proposed for the representation of non-actual motion semantics: enactive perception, perceptual scanning, and imagination. Third, the SVEC fail to account for inter-individual, cross-cultural, and context-dependency in the representation of abstract concepts. To summ...
Cognitive Linguistic Studies, 2016
The isomorphic relationship between an infinite number of concrete algebraic groups and the exist... more The isomorphic relationship between an infinite number of concrete algebraic groups and the existence of a single abstract group that underlies all these concrete groups is one of the most fundamental subjects in Algebra. Looking at the process of explicit learning from a mathematical perspective, this article suggests that explicit knowledge of a certain concrete structure can be viewed as consciousness of an abstract algebraic structure that underlies that structure. On the other hand, implicit knowledge can be regarded as knowing something without being conscious of the abstract structure that underlies that knowledge. Explicit knowledge enables the learner to know what features are shared by these concrete groups or structures. These shared features are the defining elements of underlying abstract structure. The abstract structure is constructed in the mind by the suppression of irrelevant data. Therefore, it is suggested that while implicit learning is a receiving-oriented mode...
Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science
Activitas Nervosa Superior
Activitas Nervosa Superior
International Journal of Psychological Research
While popular within some cognitive science approaches, the embodiment approach has still found r... more While popular within some cognitive science approaches, the embodiment approach has still found resistance, particularly in light of evidence arguing against strong forms of embodiment. Among other things, the embodiment approach breaks away from the Cartesian ontology of the modulatory system. We claim that the advantages of the embodiment approach are: a) it grounds cognition into modal experience, b) it is harmonious with a materialist philosophy of mind (emergent materialism), and c) it is supported by experimental research in various fields. However, embodiment must still address abstractions, theoretical misunderstandings (representations vs non-representations) and neuroscientific findings that challenge the extension and relevance of sensorimotor properties into cognitive processes. While the strong version of embodiment is seriously challenged by conceptual and physiological setbacks, its weak version is supported by compelling evidence. We suggest future research focus on ...
Cogent Psychology
Looking at Glucksberg's class-inclusion model of metaphor comprehension, this article suggests th... more Looking at Glucksberg's class-inclusion model of metaphor comprehension, this article suggests that metaphorical classes are created by a suppressionoriented mode of comprehension. To give a picture of this mechanism, it draws on a model according to which every metaphorical class is formed by the inhibition of the majority of semantic features and maintaining a very small set of those features. The product of this suppression-oriented mode of comprehension is a broad class which might include a lot of entities. All these entities create a metaphorical class which is defined by one, or at most, a few aspects of meaning. The suppressed aspects of meaning do not have any role in the creation of metaphorical classes. In other words, broad metaphorical classes are produced by a suppression-or inhibition-based mechanism through which the majority of semantic aspects are completely filtered out. Those semantic features which have a high degree of cooccurrence with other semantic features are not good criteria for defining metaphorical classes.
Activitas Nervosa Superior
Cogent Education
There might always be errors during the learning process which need correction; accordingly, prov... more There might always be errors during the learning process which need correction; accordingly, providing corrective feedback is critical. However, the various types of feedback applied during classes affect the learning and teaching process. Teaching and learning could be applied within EFL classes by providing learners with recasts. Recasts have been provided frequently in both first language acquisition and second language acquisition. Extensive studies have indicated that recasts are the most frequent feedback type in speaking, yet this study investigates their efficacy on writing. Forty high school EFL learners participated in this study for 20 sessions within a period of 3 months. The participants were divided into two experimental groups and were provided with two types of feedback. While participants of one group received recasts as a type of indirect feedback, participants of other group received direct corrective feedback. Results obtained by a pretest and a posttest indicated that both groups made significant progress in their writing performance, yet there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups on the posttest. The recast group achieved higher scores, performing better than the direct correction group.
NeuroQuantology
This article looks at the process of suppression in metaphor comprehension from the perspective o... more This article looks at the process of suppression in metaphor comprehension from the perspective of distributed models of conceptual representation. The aim is to present a picture of what happens during the process of suppression in metaphor comprehension. It is suggested that the process of suppression could take place differently depending on whether vehicle of metaphor is a living or nonliving thing. This difference is the result of differences between the nature of correlations among features in living and nonliving things. Then, a comparison is made between the ways that living and nonliving things function in the vehicle position of metaphors. It is proposed that the three factors of visual features, functional features, and strength of correlation among distinctive features of vehicle play a role in this regard. It is proposed that a visual-oriented mode of processing becomes dominant when a living thing is used in the vehicle position of metaphor. For those metaphors which use a nonliving thing in the vehicle position, functional features of vehicle play a key role in the understanding of metaphor. Finally, the strength of correlation among distinctive features in nonliving things is a key factor for those metaphors that use a nonliving thing in the vehicle position. In these metaphors, the set of distinctive features is the defining set of metaphorical class.
John Benjamins Publication Company, 2016
The isomorphic relationship between an infinite number of concrete algebraic groups and the exist... more The isomorphic relationship between an infinite number of concrete algebraic groups and the existence of a single abstract group that underlies all these concrete groups is one of the most fundamental subjects in Abstract Algebra. Looking at the process of explicit learning from a mathematical perspective, this article suggests that explicit knowledge of a certain concrete structure can be viewed as consciousness of an abstract algebraic structure that underlies that structure. On the other hand, implicit knowledge can be regarded as knowing something without being conscious of the abstract structure that underlies that knowledge. Explicit knowledge enables the learner to know what features are shared by these concrete groups or structures. These shared features are the defining elements of underlying abstract structure. The abstract structure is constructed in the mind by the suppression of irrelevant data. Therefore, it is suggested that while implicit learning is a receiving-oriented mode of learning, explicit learning is a suppression-oriented one. The sub-process of suppression enables the cognitive system to focus on abstract structure and its defining features, making the process of explicit learning deeper.
Roshd Foreign Language Teaching Journal , 2016
The aim of this study was to investigate any possible relationship between personality traits of ... more The aim of this study was to investigate any possible relationship between personality traits of L2 learners and their degree of success in performing cloze passage tasks. To conduct this study, eighty advanced L2 learners in ILI were selected. The Myers-Briggs personality questionnaire and a test of cloze passage were used as the instruments. Coefficient of correlation between participants’ scores and their degree of personality traits were calculated by Pearson formula. The results indicated that degrees of sense and thinking had a significant positive correlation with the performance on cloze test. Being good at organizing, recording, storing, and recollecting the previously encountered data are suggested to be the main reason that puts sensing people in a strong position to perform relatively well on cloze passage test. Also, having an objective and criterion-based mode of thinking are proposed to be a possible reason behind the success of thinking people on cloze passage test.
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Papers by Omid Khatinzadeh