Exploration in Semantic Space: A Personal Diary1

Following a brief bit of personal history about the origins of the author's interest in the measurement of meaning ( M ), three models of M —spatial analogue, factor analytic measurement, and underlying behavior theoretic—are described and integrated. Extension of the semantic differential technique (SD), which was developed during the 1950s and applied to many samples of American English speakers and to some 25 language‐culture communities around the world during the 1960s, is reported. Evidence for the universality of Evaluation, Potency, and Activity as affective features of M is given, along with a discussion of the powers and limitations of this technique. Application of comparable SDs in the development of a 620‐concept Atlas of Affective Meanings for 23 cultures is described, along with the problems of interpretation.