Individual variation in metaphor comprehension and processing

The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate the role of individual variation in metaphor interpretation. The scientific theoretical debate has traditionally treated metaphor interpretation from one and the same perspective which focuses exclusively on what the linguistic input is like (e.g., metaphoric vs. literal language) and which has disregarded up to now who the processor is. Experiments on metaphor understanding have been conducted on a similar vein, both in adulthood and development. Recently, however, a few preliminary studies have provided evidence in favour of the possibility that interpreting metaphor may change in terms of quality of the interpretation and/or underlying cognitive effort depending on some characteristics of the speaker. Yet, a systematic line of experimental research that informs us about the role of individual variation in metaphor interpretation seems essential to refine research on metaphor, but still it is missing. The main aim of this thesis is to shed light on this issue: understanding if and how metaphor processing varies depending on the speakers’ characteristics. This was done by targeting two specific issues. First, by investigating which cognitive abilities scaffold the development of metaphor understanding in pre-school years. Second, by exploring the role of Education background and cognitive performance in adults’ metaphor processing. Two experimental studies were thus designed and conducted which focused on individual variation in development (Study 1) and adulthood (Study 2). [...]