We performed three experiments to investigate whether adjectives can modulate the sensorimotor activation elicited by nouns. In Experiment 1, nouns of graspable objects were used as stimuli. Participants had to decide if each noun referred to a natural or artifact, by performing either a precision or a power reach‐to‐grasp movement. Response grasp could be compatible or incompatible with the grasp typically used to manipulate the objects to which the nouns referred. The results revealed faster reaction times (RTs) in compatible than in incompatible trials. In Experiment 2, the nouns were combined with adjectives expressing either disadvantageous information about object graspability (e.g., sharp) or information about object color (e.g., reddish). No difference in RTs between compatible and incompatible conditions was found when disadvantageous adjectives were used. Conversely, a compatibility effect occurred when color adjectives were combined with nouns referring to natural objects. Finally, in Experiment 3 the nouns were combined with adjectives expressing tactile or shape proprieties of the objects (e.g., long or smooth). Results revealed faster RTs in compatible than in incompatible condition for both noun categories. Taken together, our findings suggest that adjectives can shape the sensorimotor activation elicited by nouns of graspable objects, highlighting that language simulation goes beyond the single‐word level.

中文翻译：

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形容词调节名词驱动的感觉运动激活

我们进行了三个实验来研究形容词是否可以调节名词引起的感觉运动激活。在实验 1 中，可抓取物体的名词被用作刺激物。参与者必须通过执行精确或有力的伸展运动来决定每个名词是指自然还是人工制品。响应抓取可以与通常用于操纵名词所指对象的抓取兼容或不兼容。结果显示相容试验比不相容试验更快的反应时间 (RT)。在实验 2 中，名词与形容词相结合，表达关于物体可抓取性的不利信息（例如，尖锐）或关于物体颜色的信息（例如，红色）。）。当使用不利形容词时，没有发现相容和不相容条件之间的 RT 差异。相反，当颜色形容词与指代自然物体的名词组合时，会产生相容性效应。最后，在实验 3 中，名词与表达物体的触觉或形状特性（例如，长或光滑）的形容词结合使用。结果显示，对于两个名词类别，在相容条件下的 RT 比在不相容条件下更快。综上所述，我们的研究结果表明，形容词可以塑造由可抓握物体的名词引起的感觉运动激活，强调语言模拟超出了单个单词的水平。