Semantic variables and their application in L2 research

Abstract

Semantic variables enable L2 researchers and materials creators to quantify and control the effects of meaning on cognition. However, in recent years, many variables have been normed and published. Parsing the methods employed in norming this myriad of variables and which disparate theories informed their creation can be an opaque and arduous task. To facilitate effective use of these measures, this study consists of a literature review of concreteness, imageability, semantic network variables, and embodied variables. In each section, the theory underlying each variable is first outlined with the methods employed in norming studies delineated next. The final part of each section consists of an exemplary study in which the semantic variable was employed in analyses. The overarching goal of this review is to facilitate effective theory-driven use of these variables in L2 research and materials creation.