Journal

Volume 27, Issue 1 (March 31, 2026)

3 articles

• Invariances and the Number Concept
  by Paula Quinon & Peter Gärdenfors
  J. CS. 2026, 27(1), 1-23;
  Abstract Cognitive scientists Spelke and Kintzler (2007) and Carey (2009) identify objects, actions, space and numbers as “core domains of knowledge” that are essential for conceptualizing the world. Gärdenfors (2019, 2020) argues that objects, actions and space are characterized by invariances in sensory si... [Read more].
  Abstract Cognitive scientists Spelke and Kintzler (2007) and Carey (2009) identify objects, actions, space and numbers as “core domains of knowledge” that are essential for conceptualizing the world. Gärdenfors (2019, 2020) argues that objects, actions and space are characterized by invariances in sensory signals. In this paper, we extend the analysis of invariances to the domain of numbers (understood as positive integers). As a theoretical background, we assume that numbers, as studied in cognitive science, are properties of collections. We claim that the domain of numbers is determined by two types of invariances: (i) the invariance under the location of its objects; (ii) the unconstrained fungibility of objects, which is the determinant invariance of the number concept: If an object in a collection is exchanged for another object, the collection will still contain the same number of objects. We show that invariance under fungibility closely maps onto one-to-one correspondences between collections. Our theoretical analysis is supported by empirical material. [Collapse]
• When Words Sound Big or Small: Investigation of Sound Symbolism in Korean
  by Nayoung Kwon & Yoonhyoung Lee
  J. CS. 2026, 27(1), 25-49;
  Abstract This study investigates vowel-based sound symbolism in Korean ideophones, focusing on how contrasts between yang and yin vowels—associated with perceived size, valence, and intensity—influence lexical processing. Experiment 1, a questionnaire study, confirmed that ideophones containing yin vowels we... [Read more].
  Abstract This study investigates vowel-based sound symbolism in Korean ideophones, focusing on how contrasts between yang and yin vowels—associated with perceived size, valence, and intensity—influence lexical processing. Experiment 1, a questionnaire study, confirmed that ideophones containing yin vowels were interpreted as conveying greater negativity, intensity, and size than those with yang vowels. Experiment 2 employed a lexical decision task to examine whether such sound-symbolic associations influence real-time language processing. The results were mixed: accuracy data indicated a mismatch effect, with lower accuracy for yang-vowel ideophones following large-object primes, but no clear facilitation under congruent conditions. Additionally, reaction times for yang-vowel ideophones were slower overall, regardless of prime type. These findings suggest that while explicit sound-symbolic associations are robust, their effects on online lexical processing are context-dependent. Notably, faster responses to yin-vowel ideophones align with prior evidence that conceptually larger objects are processed more efficiently, highlighting the interaction between phonological iconicity and semantic salience in language comprehension. [Collapse]
• Effects of Translation Ambiguity and Direction Found in Translation Priming: Evidence from Korean-English Bilinguals
  by Da Eun Ryoo & Ji Hyon Kim
  J. CS. 2026, 27(1), 51-85;
  Abstract The present study examined whether directional asymmetry in translation priming was found for different-script languages and investigated whether translation ambiguity in the L1 prime or target affected the magnitude of priming. Unbalanced Korean-English bilinguals participated in two masked transla... [Read more].
  Abstract The present study examined whether directional asymmetry in translation priming was found for different-script languages and investigated whether translation ambiguity in the L1 prime or target affected the magnitude of priming. Unbalanced Korean-English bilinguals participated in two masked translation priming tasks with translation-ambiguous and translation-unambiguous word pairs. Results revealed a directional asymmetry in translation priming consistent with previous research. Significant translation priming was obtained in both L1-L2 and L2-L1 directions, with stronger priming effects in the L1-L2 direction. Word pairs with translation-ambiguous primes resulted in weaker translation priming effects compared to translation-unambiguous prime-target pairs in the L1-L2 direction. However, no effects of translation ambiguity on the magnitude of priming were observed when the locus of the ambiguity was in the target for the same word pairs in the L2-L1 direction. These results confirm and extend previous findings on bilingual word recognition suggesting that L1 typically has more impact on L2 lexical processing than vice versa and show that divergence in meaning across a bilingual's two languages causes processing difficulty. Implications for models of bilingual lexical retrieval are also discussed. [Collapse]