What's in a name?
Luciano da Fontoura Costa

TL;DR
This study investigates the structure of word associations in English using complex network theory, revealing power-law behaviors and hierarchical patterns that may relate to cognitive processes like language and memory.
Contribution
It introduces a novel experimental approach combining psychophysics and complex network analysis to model word association dynamics.
Findings
Identification of power-law distribution in word associations
Characterization of attraction basins and asymmetries in associations
Evidence of hierarchical structures and strange loops in word categories
Abstract
Among the several findings deriving from the application of complex network formalism to the investigation of natural phenomena, the fact that linguistic constructions follow power laws presents special interest for its potential implications for psychology and brain science. By corresponding to one of the most essentially human manifestations, such language-related properties suggest that similar dynamics may also be inherent to the brain areas related to language and associative memory, and perhaps even consciousness. The present work reports a preliminary experimental investigation aimed at characterizing and modeling the flow of sequentially induced associations between words from the English language in terms of complex networks. The data is produced through a psychophysical experiment where a word is presented to the subject, who is requested to associate another word. Complex…
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