Table 1
Overview of Grounded Cognition Theories as Named in a Representative Sample of Literature Reviews.
| SOURCE PAPER AND THEORY NAMES | THEORY NAMES IN THE PRESENT PAPER |
|---|---|
| Glenberg et al., (2008) | |
| Metaphor Simulation Action Schemas | Conceptual Metaphor Theory Perceptual Symbol Systems N/A (uses metaphor) |
| Barsalou (2008) | |
| Cognitive linguistics Theories Theories of Situated Action Cognitive Simulation Theories (perceptual symbol systems) Cognitive Simulation Theories (memory theories) Cognitive Simulation Theories (social simulation) | Conceptual Metaphor Theory N/A Perceptual Symbol Systems N/A N/A |
| Anderson (2008) | |
| Glenberg & Kaschak Simulation Conceptual metaphor | N/A (uses metaphor) Perceptual Symbol Systems Conceptual Metaphor Theory |
| Dove (2011) | |
| Metaphoric extension Action Schemas Situated Simulation | Conceptual Metaphor Theory N/A (uses metaphor) Perceptual Symbol Systems |
| Borghi et al. (2017) | |
| Action Schemas Force Dynamics Conceptual Metaphor Theory Introspective and situational Properties Affective embodiment Account Language as Situated Simulation Dove’s representational pluralism | N/A (uses metaphor) N/A (uses metaphor) Conceptual Metaphor Theory N/A (in Perceptual Symbol Systems) N/A Perceptual Symbol Systems N/A |
| Pexman (2019) | |
| Conceptual Metaphors Language Emotion | Conceptual Metaphor Theory N/A N/A |
| Pecher & Zeelenberg (2018) | |
| Conceptual Metaphor Theory Situated Cognition Hybrid Models | Conceptual Metaphor Theory Perceptual Symbol Systems N/A |
| Fincher-Kiefer (2019) | |
| Glenberg’s action schemas Lakoff & Johnson’s Metaphors Barsalou’s Situated Simulation | N/A (uses metaphor) Conceptual Metaphor Theory Perceptual Symbol Systems |
| Friedrich et al. (2024) | |
| Simulation Conceptual Metaphor Theory Conceptual Spaces Predictive Processing | Perceptual Symbol Systems Conceptual Metaphor Theory N/A N/A |
[i] Note. These are select papers that review grounded cognition and the name they chose for the theories they assessed. We do not intend for this to be a comprehensive listing of all reviews, and limit it to reviews that focused mostly on embodied theories (as opposed to weak or un-embodied theories, cf. e.g., Meteyard et al., 2012, Muraki et al., 2023). Nonetheless, we argue these reviews are representative of the use of nomenclature in grounded cognition research.
Table 2
Issues in Grounded Cognition Research and Examples.
| LACK OF CONCEPTUAL CLARITY | |
|---|---|
| Conceptual Clutter | Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff, 1987), Metaphoric structuring (Boroditsky, 2000), Neural theory of language (Gallese & Lakoff, 2005), ‘Extended’ conceptual metaphor theory (Kövecses, 2020) |
| Jingle-Jangle | Jingle: Simulation (Barsalou, 2008; Battaglia et al., 2013; Gallese, 2005; Shanton & Goldman, 2010; Hesslow, 2012) Jangle: Schema structure (Lakoff, 2014) = Cognitive primitives (Lakoff, 2012) = Image schemas (Lakoff, 1987) |
| UNSYSTEMATIC EMPIRICAL WORK | |
| No Falsification | |
| Lack of theoretical allegiance | No Allegiance: e.g., Dils & Boroditsky, 2010 Smudged Allegiance: e.g., “Embodied Cognition Approach” (Fischer & Brugger, 2011, p. 5; Tolentino-Castro & Raab, 2021, p. 1) |
| Cherry-picking theoretical support | ACE cited for perceptual symbol systems, action schemas, conceptual metaphor theory (cf. Anderson, 2008) |
| No descriptive research | How frequent is metaphor use? What are all possible grounding substrates? How many image schemas exist? |