Semantic satiation

Semantic satiation (also known as verbal satiation) is a psychological phenomenon in which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener, who then perceives the speech as repeated meaningless sounds. Extended inspection or analysis (staring at the word or phrase for a long time) in place of repetition also produces the same effect.

The phenomenon was first described and named by Leon Jakobovits James in his 1962 doctoral dissertation at McGill University. Prior to that, the expression "verbal satiation" had been used along with terms such as "cortical inhibition" and "reactive inhibition" to describe the effect.

History and research

Jakobovits James presented several experimental tasks demonstrating the operation of the semantic satiation effect. He argued that it is a form of reactive inhibition that applies to the cognitive processing of verbal symbols. According to his theory, when a verbal cell (a neural circuit representing the meaning of a word) is repeatedly fired, its ability to fire is reduced, resulting in a reduction of the intensity of the meaning.

Jakobovits James cites the work of Titchener (1915), who wrote: "Repeat aloud some word—the better, some common word... and the meaning drops out of it; the word becomes a mere sound, a pattern of sensation on the ear, a physiological event in the brain, with no psychological significance whatsoever."

Applications

Semantic satiation has been used in the treatment of stuttering. The repetition of stuttered words can lead to a reduction in the intensity of the negative emotion attached to the speech act.

In the study of slang, semantic satiation is often cited as a mechanism by which terms lose their original taboo or shocking quality, becoming part of common discourse. For instance, the word "void" has lost its original terror-inducing connotation through overuse in online communities.

See also

• Gestaltzerfall
• Jamais vu
• Mantra
• Olfactory fatigue
• The Void