A quantum-cognitive approach to dynamic meaning construction
Meng Yin
Language isn't just a rigid system of symbols. Instead, it's a living, embodied phenomenon, deeply intertwined with our physical experience and shaped by our interaction with the environment (Wang, 2019;Zhou & Luo, 2024). However, the dynamic nature of language brings a significant challenge to cognitive science: the well-known "stability-plasticity dilemma" (Grossberg, 1980). On one hand, for clear communication, meanings of words need to be stable and widely recognized, so everyone can understand them, no matter when or who speaks them. On the other hand, these meanings must also be flexible and adaptable in varying contexts. While traditional computational models, from early generative grammar to standard Bayesian approaches, have excelled at modeling these stable meanings, they often treat semantic ambiguity as "noise" that needs to be eliminated, rather than a valuable resource (Gärdenfors, 2014).Even with the significant "probabilistic turn" in cognitive science, which brought Bayesian models to handle uncertainty, most of these models still rely on classical probability theory. They assume the meaning of a concept is a pre-defined distribution over a set of fixed features. As Bruza and Cole (2005) pointed out, this dependence on classical set theory creates a major epistemological barrier because it treats semantic ambiguity as "noise" rather than a fundamental part of meaning construction. Though scholars have recently developed more complex tools, like Gradient Symbolic Representations (GSR), to model meanings as weighted mixtures (Smolensky et al., 2014;Mondal, 2024), these approaches are still limited by Kolmogorovian probability. They still follow the Law of Total Probability, which forces conflicting meanings to be simply added together and mixed. We argue that this basic "mixture" method isn't enough to describe or handle complex situations where meanings are incompatible or interfere with each other in context. Therefore, much empirical evidence suggests that capturing these dynamic features requires a non-classical, quantum probability framework (Surov et al., 2021).The importance of this paradigm shift becomes most clear when we analyze how everyday language works and how we interpret deep meanings in complex literary works. A classic example of such "semantic superposition" is the iconic "big fish" in Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.Within the novel's narrative structure, this phrase isn't a static label. Instead, it operates simultaneously on multiple, even mutually exclusive, semantic levels. Here, it serves as a biological marlin, a worthy adversary, and a transcendent symbol of life's ultimate tragedy. A classical probabilistic model fails to capture the dynamic tension that a reader feels, because it forces these meanings to compete for probability mass, implying only one can be dominant. In contrast, human reading suggests that meaning exists in a "superposition" state. It stays that way until a specific context makes it "collapse" into a concrete interpretation. Crucially, these overlapping meanings aren't simple probabilistic blends. They are coherent "quantum states" within a complex adaptive system.This study proposes that Quantum Cognition offers the necessary mathematical formalism to resolve the "stability-plasticity dilemma". This is supported by its proven success in solving decision-making paradoxes in psychology (Busemeyer & Bruza, 2012;Widdows et al., 2023;Huang et al., 2025). We introduce an integrated quantum theoretical model. In this model, the interaction between embodied experience and linguistic context is characterized as a genuine quantum interference phenomenon.This framework reinterprets the tension between stability and plasticity through the lens of Wave-Particle Duality. In our model, the "particle" corresponds to the stable, discrete symbols used for communication. The "wave" captures the fluid, context-sensitive potential that allows for creative interpretation.Next, by employing the mathematical formalism of Hilbert space, we will mathematically demonstrate how semantic ambiguity can be maintained as a useful resource, rather than mere noise.This approach effectively overcomes the limitations inherent in traditional methods like static vectors and gradient symbolic mixtures. To ground these abstract formalizations, we focus on the "Big Fish" motif in Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. Through this case analysis, we will reveal how meaning dynamically evolves, similar to "state vector collapse". Our study also extends to address the fundamental limitations of current Artificial Intelligence, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs). We argue that current LLMs, relying heavily on static statistical correlations, lack the "grounding" for true understanding. Therefore, we propose a pathway toward Quantum-Embodied AI and photonic intelligent systems by incorporating quantum-semantic principles. These systems could mimic the non-algorithmic fluidity of the human mind. Quantum probability is not an exotic addition to linguistics but a fundamental requirement for describing dynamic meaning. The research will first analyze the evolution from gradient representations to quantum interference, then formally express the wave-particle duality of meaning using mathematical methods. We will then validate this theoretical framework through the "big fish" case study and neurophysiological evidence, concluding with an exploration of its practical implications for Generative AI and Photonic we need the "quantum we the evolution of semantic theory. We will focus on mathematical models often to capture the nature of meaning. 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Frontiers in Psychology•Mar 18, 2026•2 citations