DOLI: Deciding on Literary Imagery Task
DOLI (Deciding on Literary Imagery Task) is a psycholinguistic instrument designed to investigate metaphor creation, semantic flexibility, and formal thought disorder through controlled linguistic stimuli. Originally developed as part of research into linguistic creativity and schizophrenia, the task provides a reproducible method for examining how participants combine sensory, concrete, and abstract concepts when creating novel metaphorical expressions.
Download the DOLI Task on GitHubDevelopment status: DOLI v5.1 is the latest stable release. Errors affecting stimuli presentation found in the v3.1 prototype have been corrected. However, researchers are still encouraged to review the methodology paper and independently verify task behaviour, stimulus presentation, and output formats before deployment.
Read methodology paperThe DOLI Task is based on the methodology described in A Tutorial on Norming Linguistic Stimuli for Clinical Populations and is intended for research use in psycholinguistics, clinical linguistics, psychology, psychiatry, and studies of formal thought disorder.
Research resources
Overview
Participants are presented with a linguistic prime and two possible noun responses. Selecting one of the nouns creates a novel metaphorical expression. The task was designed to investigate how individuals navigate semantic relationships and linguistic novelty under controlled conditions.
The instrument was originally developed to support research into linguistic creativity and formal thought disorder in schizophrenia, but may also be applicable to studies of semantic processing, executive functioning, metaphor comprehension, language production, and clinical communication.
Methodology
The DOLI Task uses carefully normed linguistic stimuli consisting of sensory descriptors, concrete nouns, and abstract nouns. Participants complete a series of forced-choice trials in which they select one of two candidate nouns to complete a metaphorical expression.
Experimental pathways manipulate syntactic preference and noun ordering, allowing researchers to examine how participants respond to different linguistic configurations. Response choices and reaction times are recorded for subsequent analysis.
The task was originally developed and validated through a structured norming procedure designed to ensure that stimulus materials were suitable for both clinical and non-clinical populations.
Features
- Randomised trial presentation
- Pathway A and Pathway B experimental conditions
- Reaction time capture
- Practice and distractor trials
- CSV and JSON data export
- Open and modifiable source code
- Designed for replication and extension
Applications
The DOLI Task may be useful for researchers working in:
- Psycholinguistics
- Clinical linguistics
- Formal thought disorder research
- Schizophrenia research
- Creativity research
- Semantic cognition
- Executive functioning
- Computational linguistics
Use and access
The DOLI Task is available as a research resource and may be adapted for use in studies of language, cognition, creativity, and clinical communication. Researchers are encouraged to cite the original methodology paper when using or modifying the task.
Related research
DOLI was developed as part of a broader programme of research into linguistic creativity, metaphor production, and formal thought disorder in schizophrenia. The task emerged from work on norming linguistic stimuli for clinical populations and complements the DAIS-C corpus and related investigations into language, cognition, and psychosis.
Together, these resources support research into how meaning is maintained, expanded, or disrupted under differing cognitive, linguistic, and clinical conditions.