Chinese Moral Concept Brightness Metaphor Representation And Its Effect On The Brightness Perception

Three studies investigate the brightness metaphor of moral concepts and its influence on cognition. Experimentl,using Stroop paradigm, participants were asked to judge the brightness presented in two different adjectives is moral or immoral. The reaction time of the black immoral words were significantly faster than white immoral word reaction.The reaction time of white moral word was significantly faster than the reaction time of the word white immoral. The results illustrate the concept of morality and bright with metaphorical links, immoral concepts are metaphors and dark tie.Experiment2, first appeared in the center of the screen showing the location of the fixation point a word, participants were asked to judge the word moral or immoral. Then, on the screen appears a gray color, participants were asked to determine if this color is a dark or too bright, in fact, all the gray blocks are the same brightness. Record the correct rate of lexical decision and the number of color brightness. The result is after the moral word, the subjects will be more determined to partial bright color. After the immoral words participants are more determined to dim the color. Moral concepts led to brighter overestimation while immoral ones led to darker overestimation. Experiment3further discusses moral influence on brightness perception brightness metaphor, by increasing the five equal brightness difference reference color piece, try to be present grey vocabulary at the same time presents the five reference color piece, let the participants choose consistent with the font brightness of color piece, record the input color piece number. Results the subjects thought moral word font bright brightness, unethical word font brightness darker.All together, the results suggest that, processing abstraction "morality" will activate the brightness of the light and dark two dimensions, and make brightness perception bias, so the abstraction "moral" understanding is based on the brightness perception. Experimental results support the abstraction is implanted in the human sensory-motor system embodied cognition theory.