The Influence Of Language Labels Semantic Information On Categorical Perception

The battle of the relationship between language and thinking is undergoing for a long time, both sides respectively formed more classic academic point of view:linguistic relativity and linguistic universalism. Language relativity suppose that language shape the human perception and thinking, different language lead to different cognitive way in the world, namely that language influence and shape people's mode of thinking and cognitive ability. Supporters of linguistic universalism are considering that the human cognitive shape language, language differences will not affect the person's cognitive behavior.In daily life, when the individuals are processing the information, people can simplify by means of classification of all kinds of information perception and processing, in order to promote the understanding and control of the outside world things. Category perception refers to the continuous changes of the stimulation of consciousness for different categories of discontinuous. Categorical perception effect refers to, even if the object differences are equal, distinguishing stimulate between the categories are more accurately than stimuli within category. Predecessors of behavioral and neural mechanisms research proves that language labels can promote categorical perception process, on the psychological level language labels can expand the differences between the categories. In our study, we try to explore the how the language labels affect the category perception, what is the mechanism that language labels affect categorical perception. In particular, we are trying to figure out the influence of semantic information on category perception.In this study, we hypothesize that language labels'semantic information is one of the factors of categorical perception effect. Thus, we designed two experiments.1) Experiment 1:Applied a 2 (category:within category vs. between category) x 2 (view: left vs. right) x 2 (Language labels semantic similarity degree:high vs. low). We mixed design investigated categorical perception effect under different degrees of language label representations. The results showed that RVF-lateralized categorical perception effect occurred when subjects under low Language labels semantic similarity degree.but not in high Language labels semantic similarity degree.2) Experiment 2:Using the design of 2 (the amount of semantic that a language label contains:one vs. four) x 2 (category:within category vs. between category) x 2 (view:left vs. right). We investigate how subjects under language label abundance more, less effect categorical perception. It is found that when subjects distinguish within category stimulus in the left visual field, learning a language label contains four semantic group subjects reaction significantly faster when learning a language label contains one semantic, when distinguish stimulus in the right visual field, reaction time in two groups show no difference.In conclusion, in this study we use the novel continuous gradient objects and color squares, reveal that language labels semantic information's influence on the category of perception, what is more, language labels'semantic information rather than language labels themselves affect category perception process, and semantic information influence category perception processing through the right hemisphere. Language labels semantic information can help expend the difference between stimulus that are within category at psychological level, thus promote categorical perception cognitive process.