Author: Claire Simpson | Major: Psychology | Semester: Fall 2025
Claire Simpson
Over the course of the 2025 fall grant term, I worked alongside my honors mentor, Dr.Levine, researching and creating an experiment aimed at studying language processing. In particular, we were interested in seeing how the metaphor interference effect is impacted by working memory capacity and vocabulary knowledge. The metaphor interference effect is a well-known phenomenon in which participants take longer to determine that a metaphoric statement is false compared to other non-metaphoric literally false statements.
In order to better understand these concepts, Dr. Levine and I read and discussed several articles and research experiments pertaining to vocabulary, working memory capacity, and the metaphor interference effect. We were also fortunate enough to speak with, via email, Dr.Pierce, one of the principal researchers on a foundational experiment examining the relationship between working memory capacity and the metaphor interference effect. In analyzing studies, we realized that there is very little research looking at the connection between all three concepts.
After coming to this realization, Dr.Levine and I spent the rest of the semester creating an experiment aimed at analyzing the relationship between working memory capacity, vocabulary knowledge, and the metaphor interference effect. The honors college research grant was able to provide us with the funds necessary to design and implement the study.
The experiment begins with the participant being asked to complete a vocabulary task. The vocabulary task consists of participants being presented with a target word and then being asked to choose from a list of four other words which one was closest to the target word. After completing the vocabulary task, participants are then prompted to complete an operation span task (OSPAN) that was designed to measure working memory capacity. The OSPAN task consists of participants being asked to determine whether a simple math problem is correct while being shown a word that needs to be remembered. The number of words the participants are going to be asked to remember will increase throughout the duration of the task. Lastly, the participants will complete the metaphor interference task. In this task, participants will be shown literally true, literally false, and metaphoric sentences. The participants will be asked to make a judgment on the literal truth of the sentence. The reaction time in making this judgment will be measured.
Unfortunately, technical difficulties prevented us from being able to begin running the experiment this semester. We are, tentatively, planning to start data collection and analysis at the beginning of the Spring 2026 semester. This honors college research grant allowed me to improve my ability to analyze research articles and taught me the value of attention to detail. More importantly, it increased my appreciation for the scientific process and its role in advancing knowledge.
Upon my graduation next spring, I am planning to attend medical school. This experience and research will be invaluable for me as a future physician. This research directly impacts patient-provider communication, as metaphorical explanations are commonly used within medical settings. Understanding the cognitive demands of such language will allow me to better enhance patient comprehension and communication.