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Livet som figur : om självbiografiskt minne och metaforer

Bredefeldt Öhman, Monika LU (2009) In Lund University Cognitive Studies 143.
Abstract
The central topics of the thesis are autobiographical memory and metaphors. Three hypotheses are presented: (1) Autobiographical memory is better understood without dichotomizing the declarative (explicit) long-term memory system into semantic and episodic. An alternative model is proposed in which semantic and autobiographical memory are overlapping and the recollective memory is regarded as a mental “natural kind” of memory. The Self-Memory-System of Conway (2005) is for that reason to be considered in more detail. (2) The narrative capacity is intrinsically connected with the self-consciousness. Driven by intentionality, both are creating meaning and are characterized by a “double chronology.” (3) Some metaphorical image schemas, in... (More)
The central topics of the thesis are autobiographical memory and metaphors. Three hypotheses are presented: (1) Autobiographical memory is better understood without dichotomizing the declarative (explicit) long-term memory system into semantic and episodic. An alternative model is proposed in which semantic and autobiographical memory are overlapping and the recollective memory is regarded as a mental “natural kind” of memory. The Self-Memory-System of Conway (2005) is for that reason to be considered in more detail. (2) The narrative capacity is intrinsically connected with the self-consciousness. Driven by intentionality, both are creating meaning and are characterized by a “double chronology.” (3) Some metaphorical image schemas, in particular FORCE and BALANCE, are central in the autobiographical memory and the self-consciousness.

The methods used to investigate the third hypothesis are, firstly, interviews generating life stories and, secondly, psychological experiments. The linguistic analysis of the life stories reveals that certain metaphorical image schemas are central: PATH, UP/DOWN, LIGHT/DARK, CONTAINER, PROCESS, FORCE and BALANCE. The image schema of BALANCE is considered as an attractor in the self-organizing system of the self and therefore BALANCE and FORCE are of special significance for the person. Another reason for FORCE to be special is that emotions are important to people and the “master metaphor” of emotions is FORCE. To test the hypothesis that force dynamic words are special, experiments with lexical decision tasks were conducted. Furthermore, in an archival experiment using The English Lexicon Project, force metaphorical words were shown to have significantly shorter reaction times compared with other words with the same prediction variables. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Centralt i avhandlingen är självbiografiskt minne och metaforer. Tre hypoteser framförs: (1) Den dikotomisering av deklarativa långtidsminnet som Tulving föreslagit är inte tillräcklig för att förklara självbiografiskt minne. Istället föreslås en alternativ modell där semantiskt och självbiografiskt minne överlappar varandra och där återupplevelseminnet uppfattas som en mental ”natural kind”. Av detta skäl har Conways teori The Self-memory System presenterats. (2) Den narrativa förmågan och självmedvetandet är oupplösligen förenade med varandra. Drivna av intentionalitet skapar båda mening och båda karaktäriseras av en ”dubbel kronologi”. (3) Ett antal metaforiska föreställningsscheman, särskilt... (More)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Centralt i avhandlingen är självbiografiskt minne och metaforer. Tre hypoteser framförs: (1) Den dikotomisering av deklarativa långtidsminnet som Tulving föreslagit är inte tillräcklig för att förklara självbiografiskt minne. Istället föreslås en alternativ modell där semantiskt och självbiografiskt minne överlappar varandra och där återupplevelseminnet uppfattas som en mental ”natural kind”. Av detta skäl har Conways teori The Self-memory System presenterats. (2) Den narrativa förmågan och självmedvetandet är oupplösligen förenade med varandra. Drivna av intentionalitet skapar båda mening och båda karaktäriseras av en ”dubbel kronologi”. (3) Ett antal metaforiska föreställningsscheman, särskilt KRAFT och BALANS, är centrala i det självbiografiska minnet och självmedvetandet.

De metoder som används för att undersöka den tredje hypotesen är, dels intervjuer där människors livsberättelser studeras, dels psykologiska experiment. Den lingvistiska analysen av livsberättelserna visar att särskilda metaforiska föreställningsscheman är centrala: VÄG, UPP/NER, LJUS/MÖRKER, BEHÅLLARE, KRAFT och BALANS. Föreställningsschemat BALANS betraktas som attraktor i det självorgansierande system som självet utgör och därför är BALANS och KRAFT av särskild betydelse för individen. Ytterligare en orsak till att KRAFT har stor betydelse är att emotioner är viktiga för människor, och KRAFT är huvudmetafor för emotioner. För att pröva hypotesen att kraftmetaforiska ord har särskild betydelse har experiment med lexikalt beslutsfattande (lexical decison task) genomförsts. Ett arkivexperiment, där The English Lexicon Project använts, visar vidare att kraftmetaforiska ord har signifikant kortare reaktionstider jämfört med andra ord med samma prediktorer. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • Prof em Magnusson, Ulf, Luleå tekniska universitet
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
lexical decision task, image schema, force dynamics, cognitive semantics, Autobiographical memory, balance, life story, metaphor, narrative
in
Lund University Cognitive Studies
volume
143
pages
252 pages
defense location
Sal 104, Kungshuset, Lundagård, Lund
defense date
2009-02-14 13:00:00
ISSN
1101-8453
ISBN
978-91-977380-5-7
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Author's e-mail address: monica.bredefeldt.ohman@hkr.se
id
4e116e34-09a9-4b4b-ac16-7fbdc8133ac4 (old id 1278676)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:14:13
date last changed
2019-05-21 20:47:36
@phdthesis{4e116e34-09a9-4b4b-ac16-7fbdc8133ac4,
  abstract     = {{The central topics of the thesis are autobiographical memory and metaphors. Three hypotheses are presented: (1) Autobiographical memory is better understood without dichotomizing the declarative (explicit) long-term memory system into semantic and episodic. An alternative model is proposed in which semantic and autobiographical memory are overlapping and the recollective memory is regarded as a mental “natural kind” of memory. The Self-Memory-System of Conway (2005) is for that reason to be considered in more detail. (2) The narrative capacity is intrinsically connected with the self-consciousness. Driven by intentionality, both are creating meaning and are characterized by a “double chronology.” (3) Some metaphorical image schemas, in particular FORCE and BALANCE, are central in the autobiographical memory and the self-consciousness. <br/><br>
The methods used to investigate the third hypothesis are, firstly, interviews generating life stories and, secondly, psychological experiments. The linguistic analysis of the life stories reveals that certain metaphorical image schemas are central: PATH, UP/DOWN, LIGHT/DARK, CONTAINER, PROCESS, FORCE and BALANCE. The image schema of BALANCE is considered as an attractor in the self-organizing system of the self and therefore BALANCE and FORCE are of special significance for the person. Another reason for FORCE to be special is that emotions are important to people and the “master metaphor” of emotions is FORCE. To test the hypothesis that force dynamic words are special, experiments with lexical decision tasks were conducted. Furthermore, in an archival experiment using The English Lexicon Project, force metaphorical words were shown to have significantly shorter reaction times compared with other words with the same prediction variables.}},
  author       = {{Bredefeldt Öhman, Monika}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-977380-5-7}},
  issn         = {{1101-8453}},
  keywords     = {{lexical decision task; image schema; force dynamics; cognitive semantics; Autobiographical memory; balance; life story; metaphor; narrative}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Lund University Cognitive Studies}},
  title        = {{Livet som figur : om självbiografiskt minne och metaforer}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5268910/1278677.pdf}},
  volume       = {{143}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}