{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,28]],"date-time":"2026-03-28T09:57:47Z","timestamp":1774691867629,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,23]],"date-time":"2026-03-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774224000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":22,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,1]],"date-time":"2026-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772323200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Cognitive Science"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>How we measure success in signal comprehension experiments fundamentally shapes our conclusions. Two recent studies have demonstrated that humans can guess the meanings of novel vocalizations and ape gestures above chance when selecting from limited alternatives. We replicated both experiments using open\u2010ended responses instead of multiple choice. For the vocalization data, where participants provided single\u2010word or short\u2010phrase responses, we systematically compared three evaluation methods applied to the same responses: exact matching, graded similarity ratings, and computational semantic similarity. For the gesture data, we applied graded similarity ratings. Each evaluation method revealed a different semantic landscape. Participants\u2019 success was very low when measured by exact matching, moderate by similarity ratings, and substantially greater by computational measures, which capture broader thematic connections. Despite these differences, a consistent pattern emerged across both datasets and all evaluation methods: success was determined primarily by properties of the signals (their semantic category and degree of transparency) rather than individual participant abilities. Participants often reliably distinguished broad categories (actions vs. objects, animals vs. artifacts) but rarely identified specific concepts\u2014and these distinct patterns only became visible through a combination of evaluation methods. In sum, our results partly align with the original studies yet also diverge in ways conducive to different conclusions about na\u00efve humans\u2019 ability to understand novel vocalizations or ape gestures. We show that closed\u2010 versus open\u2010ended response formats, and different evaluation scales, function as complementary research tools rather than competing approaches. Each reveals different aspects of how humans navigate semantic space when interpreting novel signals. Experimental and evaluation designs are, therefore, not a technical detail but a theoretical choice about which semantic relationships we seek to expose.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/cogs.70199","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,23]],"date-time":"2026-03-23T12:52:24Z","timestamp":1774270344000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exploring the Guessing\u2010Game Experimental Paradigm: Inferences From Closed\u2010 Versus Open\u2010Ended Semantic Space"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"50","author":[{"given":"Svetlana","family":"Kuleshova","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Language Evolution Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"},{"name":"Institute of Advanced Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"},{"name":"ArScAn\u2010\u00c9quipe AnTET (UMR 7041), CNRS Universit\u00e9 Paris Nanterre"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Aleksandra","family":"\u0106wiek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Language Evolution Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"},{"name":"Institute of Advanced Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"},{"name":"Leibniz\u2010Zentrum Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft (ZAS)"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stefan","family":"Hartmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"German Department Heinrich Heine University D\u00fcsseldorf"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Pleyer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Language Evolution Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"},{"name":"Institute of Advanced Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"Sibierska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Language Evolution Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"},{"name":"Institute of Advanced Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marek","family":"Placi\u0144ski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Language Evolution Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"},{"name":"Institute of Advanced Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Johan","family":"Blomberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Languages and Literature Lund University"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Przemys\u0142aw","family":"\u017bywiczy\u0144ski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Language Evolution Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"},{"name":"Institute of Advanced Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"S\u0142awomir","family":"Wacewicz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Language Evolution Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"},{"name":"Institute of Advanced Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_11_2_1","first-page":"95","volume-title":"Creativity in education","author":"Boden M. 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