Examining an evaluation mechanism of metaphor generation with experiments and computational model simulation

Abstract

This study examines the metaphor generation process, in which an expression consisting of a topic modified by certain features becomes a metaphorical expression of the form "TOPIC like VEHICLE", through model simulation and psychological experiments. A computational model of metaphor generation has been developed that includes an evaluation mechanism[4]. The model assumes two processes within metaphor generation. First, vehicle candidates are generated within a candidate metaphor generation process, and then, the candidates are evaluated within an evaluation process. This study focuses specifically on examining the timing of the evaluation mechanism with a simulation and psychological experiments. The results support the claim that the evaluation mechanism follows the metaphor generation mechanism within the overall metaphor generation process. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.