The Elephant in the Room: A Systematic Review of Stimulus Control in Neuro-Measurement Studies on Figurative Language Processing

The processing of metaphors and idioms has been the subject of neuroscientific research for several decades. However, results are often contradictory, which can be traced back to inconsistent terminology and stimulus control. In this systematic review of research methods, we analyse linguistic aspec...

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Published inFrontiers in human neuroscience Vol. 15; p. 791374
Main Authors Koller, Sina, Müller, Nadine, Kauschke, Christina
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 21.01.2022
Frontiers Media S.A
Subjects
Brain research
EEG
Familiarity
figurative language
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Human Neuroscience
idiom
Information processing
Language
Linguistics
Metaphor
neuro-imaging
neurolinguistics
Positron emission tomography
Research methodology
review
Reviews
Stimulus control
Subconscious
Systematic review
Terminology
metaphor
neurolinguistics
neuro-imaging
review
research comparability
idiom
stimulus control
figurative language
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Summary:The processing of metaphors and idioms has been the subject of neuroscientific research for several decades. However, results are often contradictory, which can be traced back to inconsistent terminology and stimulus control. In this systematic review of research methods, we analyse linguistic aspects of 116 research papers which used EEG, fMRI, PET, MEG, or NIRS to investigate the neural processing of the two figurative subtypes metaphor and idiom. We critically examine the theoretical foundations as well as stimulus control by performing a systematic literature synthesis according to the PRISMA guidelines. We explicitly do not analyse the findings of the studies but instead focus on four primary aspects: definitions of figurative language and its subtypes, linguistic theory behind the studies, control for factors influencing figurative language processing, and the relationship between theoretical and operational definitions. We found both a lack and a broad variety in existing definitions and operationalisation, especially in regard to familiarity and conventionality. We identify severe obstacles in the comparability and validation potential of the results of the papers in our review corpus. We propose the development of a consensus in fundamental terminology and more transparency in the reporting of stimulus design in the research on figurative language processing.
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Reviewed by: Fiona Kumfor, The University of Sydney, Australia; Penelope Monroe, The University of Sydney, Australia, in Collaboration With Reviewer FK; Margaret Blake, University of Houston, United States
This article was submitted to Speech and Language, a section of the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Edited by: Kirrie J. Ballard, The University of Sydney, Australia
ISSN:1662-5161
1662-5161
DOI:10.3389/fnhum.2021.791374