Imagining abstractness: The role of embodied simulations and language in memory for abstract concepts

Can you visualize a dog? How about grief? The latter may be more difficult, as grief has no easily identifiable physical referent in the external world. Such an abstract concept is often seen as "disembodied" and represented linguistically. However, for embodied views, abstract concepts can be grounded in perceptual, motor, and introspective experiences. In two studies, participants memorized abstract words using linguistic (sentence-making) or imagery (visualizing situations) strategies. Imagery improved recall at medium (30 min) and long-term (24 h) intervals, but not immediately (30 s). Manipulation checks using interferences confirmed that imagery relied more on sensorimotor experiences. This suggests that the memory representation of abstract concepts is deeply rooted in experiences. Aligned with embodied accounts of conceptual processing, this means that orienting learning towards experiential aspects of concepts is more important than orienting towards the related linguistic information for long-term memory.