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- Volume 7, Issue, 2012
The Mental Lexicon - Volume 7, Issue 2, 2012
Volume 7, Issue 2, 2012
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Drawing attention to primes increases inhibitory word priming effects.
Author(s): Robert Zimmerman and Pablo Gomezpp.: 119–146 (28)More LessInhibitory masked priming effects in the lexical decision task (LDT) have been proven difficult to replicate. If these difficulties are due to individual differences in attention, introducing minor fluctuations in the temporal parameters of prime-target presentation should increase priming effects by drawing attention to the prime. The current study presents two experiments in which we manipulated the duration of prime presentation to this effect. In Experiment 1, we presented subjects (n = 224) with an LDT using form-related and -unrelated word primes. Subjects were assigned to a condition in which all primes were presented for 48ms, or a condition in which one-fourth of the primes were presented for 64ms. Inhibitory priming effects emerged only for the mixed duration condition. Experiment 2 repeated the procedures of the first experiment but with nonword primes. Because nonword primes have no lexical information, target item response latencies should not suffer from the additional processing time required to suppress those representations. Thus, as predicted, Experiment 2 yielded a facilitatory effect of priming. Together, these experiments show that small manipulations of the prime SOA can increase attention to the temporal location of the prime, and that when attention is drawn to the existence of primes in this manner, inhibitory word priming can be observed.
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The mental representation of derived words: An experimental study of –sa and –mi nominals in Japanese
Author(s): Harald Clahsen and Yu Ikemotopp.: 147–182 (36)More LessDeadjectival nominals with –sa and –mi in Japanese are both phonologically transparent and morphologically decomposable. However, whilst –sa essentially serves to form nouns out of adjectives, –mi forms function as semantic labels with specific meanings. We examined –sa and –mi nominals in three experiments, an eye-movement experiment presenting –sa and –mi forms in sentence contexts and in two word recognition experiments using (primed and unprimed) lexical decision, to investigate the nature of their form-level representations. Whilst the word recognition experiments produced the same pattern of results for –sa and –mi forms, the eye-movement experiment demonstrated clear differences: –mi forms elicited longer reading times compared to –sa forms, except when the particular meanings of –mi forms were contextually licensed. These results show how different semantic properties affect the performance of derived words that have the same type of word level representation.
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Danger and usefulness effects as a function of concept ancientness
Author(s): Devon Witherell, Lee H. Wurm, Sean R. Seaman, Nikki A. Brugnone and Evan T. Fulfordpp.: 183–209 (27)More LessDanger and Usefulness affect word recognition (e.g., Wurm & Vakoch, 2000), and a related construct affects memory (e.g., Nairne, Thompson, & Pandeirada, 2007). We tested hypotheses about differential effects of these dimensions, based on the relevance of concepts relative to the time perceptual systems underwent selection pressures. In two experiments participants made auditory and visual lexical decisions for nouns rated on Danger, Usefulness, and “Ancientness.” Danger interacted with Ancientness in both auditory and visual processing. Increasing Danger led to faster RTs and better accuracy only for words judged to have ancient relevance. Interactions with participant gender were seen in both auditory and visual analyses. Consistent with Wurm, Whitman, Seaman, Hill, and Ulstad (2007), men’s but not women’s auditory performance improved with increasing Danger. The beneficial effect of Usefulness on accuracy was greater for women than for men in both experiments. Danger and Usefulness effects seem to reflect a general principle underlying human cognition.
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Toward a neurolexicology: A method for exploring the organization of the mental lexicon by analyzing electrophysiological signals
Author(s): Sabine Ploux, Stéphanie Dabic, Yves Paulignan, Anne Cheylus and Tatjana A. Nazirpp.: 210–236 (27)More LessThis article analyzes the organization of the mental lexicon based on neurophysiological data. The neuroscience literature has devoted many studies to the semantic processing of words. However, the research remains specific to certain categories, studied separately, and does not address the lexicon as a system. In order to provide further insight into the neuronal organization of the lexicon, we conducted an EEG-based semantic decision experiment using words from eight categories (four living and four nonliving categories) as the material. A data-analysis method (correspondence analysis or CA) commonly used in computational linguistics was applied to the electrophysiological signals. The results revealed a two-factor structure: an ontological organization separating the living from the nonliving, and an organization with a human referential structured by proximity to the person. A comparison of the ERP-CA and the linguistic-CA data revealed organizational analogies. Lastly, a tomography software (Loreta®) was used to estimate the cerebral sources associated with the ERP signals.
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P3: A technique for the study of perception, production, and participant properties
Author(s): Gary Libben, Silke Weber and Koji Miwapp.: 237–248 (12)More LessBy combining lexical recognition paradigms and written production it is possible to efficiently investigate the roles of perception, production, and participant properties in lexical processing. We report on an approach to experimentation that generates a rich set of dependent variables associated with naming stimuli aloud and with writing. Crucially, this approach allows for experimentation in which participants perform experiments in pairs. The first member of the pair sees a word and says it aloud. This oral production serves as input to the second member of the participant pair who writes the word down. We discuss the kinds of dependent variables generated by this experimental technique and the manner in which the components of the technique can be isolated in a system of control conditions. Finally, we report on an example of its use in the investigation of semantic transparency in the processing of English compound words.
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