Representation and Processing of Affective Words: The Distinction Between Emotion-label and Emotion-laden Words

Identifier:  TDX:4388

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX4388

Authors:  Betancourt Díaz, Ángel Armando

Abstract:
  This present thesis addresses the representation and processing of affective words in our minds. It aims to differentiate between two types of affective words: emotion-label words (EM; e.g., fear) and emotion-laden words (EL; e.g., death). While previous research has demonstrated behavioral and neurocognitive differences between these two types of affective words, their representation in the mental lexicon remains understudied. Therefore, the first aim of this thesis is to study the representation of EM and EL words by examining how they are organized in the mental lexicon, and to identify which are the features or characteristics that best described the two types of affective words. The second aim of the present thesis is to explore if valence can be considered a feature of semantic richness, and to examine whether the valence effects behave similarly or differently in EM and EL words. To achieve this, we conducted three studies. In the first study we analyze the associative structures of EM, EL, and neutral words through a word association task. In the second study, we developed a semantic space to define the organization of affective and neutral words. We also explore which are the characteristics that best predicts the different word types. Finally, in the third study we examine whether valence is a feature of semantic richness and the effects that valence has on EM and EL words. The general conclusions of this work are that valence is the central dimension of the affective content of words and that the distinction between EM and EL words is achievable by considering the Component Process Model (CPM).