Assuming that action-perception mec

Assuming that action-perception mechanisms contribute to forming concepts, activating a concept representation should activate a subset of associated perceptual information stored during the experience of the concept’s referent. This proposed process is known as simulation, and it gives rise to the important prediction that conceptual processes can systematically impact concurrent perceptual tasks. For instance, a task that requires visual orienting of attention upward or downward should be influenced as observers conceptually evaluate words referring to flying or nonflying animals. Finding such interaction between the linguistic processing of the animal concept (e.g., lexical decision) and visual orienting would support the view that perceptual components do contribute to forming representations of flying and nonflying animals.