Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

Using the prepositions in and on, Jamrozik and Gentner (2015; 2014; 2011) explored a particular factor of meaning that was hypothesized to serve as a metaphorical link between spatial and abstract concepts. Across several studies, these researchers have provided evidence for the idea that there is a “continuum of control” that exists for both spatial and abstract uses of in and on. Our research explores other potential meaning factors that might play a role in non-spatial uses of in and on. Our results replicate and extend Jamrozik and Gentner’s (2011) findings. We advocate using a multi-componential approach as research involving indirect metaphors continues moving forward.