Core Semantic Links or Lexical Associations: Assessing the Nature of Responses in Word Association Tasks

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research - The processes tapped by the widely-used word association (WA) paradigm remain a matter of debate: while some authors consider them as driven by lexical...     

义符在中文名词和动词分类中的作用

通过3个实验,考察了义符在中文名词和动词分类中的作用。实验1表明,义符提供了重要的语法种类信息,在中文名词和动词分类中有重要作用。当义符与词类一致时分类快,与词类相反时对分类起干扰作用。实验2表明,高频词分类时间短,错误率亦低。义符和词频有显著的交互作用,义符对低频词分类作用更大。实验3表明,具体性高的词分类时间短,错误率亦低。义符和具体性之间无显著的交互作用。整个研究表明,义符不仅是结构的“块”,也是语义的“块”,还是语法的“块”。所以如此,与中文名词和动词的结构特点有关。中文名词大多用义符标记事物的物质组成,动词大多用义符标记动作发出的器官或完成动作的工具。义符的语法意义的发现丰富了中文和中文认知的理论,对中文教学也有重要启示     

Effects of Lexical Prosody and Word Familiarity on Lexical Access of Spoken Japanese Words

Lexical prosody (e.g., stress and pitch accent) has been shown to constrain lexical activation of spoken words in various languages. In the present study, whether or not the constraint of lexical prosody is affected by word familiarity in lexical access of Japanese words was examined using a cross-modal priming task. The stimuli were pairs of prosodically different homophones (minimal accent pairs). When the targets were more familiar members of minimal accent pairs, the responses were facilitated by prior presentations of primes that were prosodically different homophones of the targets, suggesting that lexical prosody did not constrain lexical activation. In contrast, when less familiar members of minimal accent pairs were used as the targets, the prosodically different homophones did not facilitate the responses to the targets. These results suggest that the constraint of lexical prosody is not so strong but is affected by the factor of word relative familiarity.     

Graph‐Theoretic Properties of Networks Based on Word Association Norms: Implications for Models of Lexical Semantic Memory

We compared the ability of three different contextual models of lexical semantic memory (BEAGLE, Latent Semantic Analysis, and the Topic model) and of a simple associative model (POC) to predict the properties of semantic networks derived from word association norms. None of the semantic models were able to accurately predict all of the network properties. All three contextual models over‐predicted clustering in the norms, whereas the associative model under‐predicted clustering. Only a hybrid model that assumed that some of the responses were based on a contextual model and others on an associative network (POC) successfully predicted all of the network properties and predicted a word's top five associates as well as or better than the better of the two constituent models. The results suggest that participants switch between a contextual representation and an associative network when generating free associations. We discuss the role that each of these representations may play in lexical semantic memory. Concordant with recent multicomponent theories of semantic memory, the associative network may encode coordinate relations between concepts (e.g., the relation between pea and bean, or between sparrow and robin), and contextual representations may be used to process information about more abstract concepts.     

汉语听觉词汇加工中声调信息对语义激活的制约作用

进行了三个跨通道启动词汇判断实验,探讨汉语听觉词汇加工中声调信息对语义激活的制约作用。实验一和二使用具有相同音段信息、但不同声调信息的双音节合成词（如“条约”和“跳跃”）作为听觉启动词,与其中一个词有语义关系的双字词作为视觉探测词。语义启动词与其配对的声调不匹配词在第一音节的声调、第二音节的声调、或两个声调上有所不同。实验三改变语义启动词的第一或第二音节的声调,以产生声调不匹配的假词启动项;实验三还同时变化了原来的声调与产生的声调之间的相似性。实验结果表明,声调不匹配的启动项目是否产生显著的启动效应取决于词汇竞争的环境、声调输入与深层声调表征之间匹配的程度,以及不匹配的声调所在的位置。文章从语音输入中的声调信息如何激活词汇表征、声调信息如何存储在心理词典中、声调对语义激活的制约作用如何受竞争环境的影响这三个方面讨论了研究的发现。     

不确定归类的类别等级一致性限制与分离

该文以大学生被试,实验考察在集中呈现类别成员信息的非对齐类别等级结构条件下的不确定归类。实验结果表明,对个体的不确定归类会受类别的上下级包含关系限制而保持等级一致性,导致出现下级归类错误或上级归类错误;而对群体的不确定归类不会受类别上下级包含关系限制而保持等级一致性,而是与类别层次的实际分布相一致,出现上下级归类的分离。     

Semantic Processing of Foveally and Parafoveally Presented Words in a Lexical Decision Task

Using a lexical decision task in which two primes appeared simultaneously in the visual field for 150 msec followed by a target word, two experiments examined semantic priming from attended and unattended primes as a function of both the separation between the primes in the visual field and the prime-target stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA). In the first experiment significant priming effects were found for both the attended and unattended prime words, though the effect was much greater for the attended words. In addition, and also for both attention conditions, priming showed a tendency to increase with increasing eccentricity (2.3°, 3.3°, and 4.3°) between the prime words in the visual field at the long (550 and 850 msec) but not at the short (250 msec) prime-target SOA. In the second experiment the prime stimuli were either two words (W-W) or one word and five Xs (W-X). We manipulated the degree of eccentricity (2° and 3.6°) between the prime stimuli and used a prime-target SOA of 850 msec. Again significant priming was found for both the attended and unattended words but only the W-W condition showed a decrement in priming as a function of the separation between the primes; this decrement came to produce negative priming for the unattended word at the narrow (2°) separation. These results are discussed in relation to the semantic processing of parafoveal words and the inhibitory effects of focused attention.     

Familial sinistrality, sex, and laterality differences in naming and Lexical Decision Latencies of right-handers

Sixty-four subjects, divided into four groups of 16 according to sex and familial sinistrality (FS), were given a lateralized Object-Naming Latency Task (ONLT) and a Lexical Decision Latency Task (LDLT). Both tasks showed RVF superiorities. On the ONLT a sex × FS × visual field interaction was obtained, with FS− females and FS+ males showing comparably smaller RVF superiorities than FS+ females and FS− males. On the LDLT an FS by Stimulus Type (word-nonword) interaction was found, FS− subjects being more RVF superior for nonword trials and FS+ subjects more RVF superior for word trials. If one compared only FS− males and females, as some studies have done, greater RVF superiorities obtained for males than females on both the ONLT and word trials of the LDLT. However, FS+ subjects showed the opposite pattern. The data support neither the simple model of FS nor sex influence on language laterality. Data aslso suggest that a history of maternal versus paternal left-handedness may affect lateralization differently in the sexes.     

分类中相似性的理论与模型

相似性在分类的原型理论、样例理论、定义理论和理论解释观中都扮演着重要的角色。人们对相似性的研究由来已久,但是它在分类的领域中至今仍是一个相对模糊的概念,这部分地由于揭示相似性的真正机制将涉及到复杂的信息加工过程。本文以分类中的相似性为出发点介绍了近期相似性研究的一些理论与模型并在此基础上对概念和分类领域中的相似性研究进行了分析和总结。     

The Impact of Sonority on Onset-Rime and Peak-Coda Lexical Decision and Naming of Lexical Items by Children with Different Spelling Ability

The present study used the lexical decision (making YES/NO decision) and the vocalization (naming) paradigms in two reaction time experiments to examine the cohesiveness of onset-rime and peak-coda in the syllable structure of English lexical items. The aim was to study the effect of sonority hierarchy of liquids, nasals and obstruents on the accurate and rapid identification and naming of CCVCC words and pseudowords in relation to the spelling performance of 222 grades 4, 5 and 6 students. In the onset-rime lexical decision and naming tasks nasals were processed faster than the liquids and the obstruents. In the peak-coda lexical decision and naming the obstruents were processed faster than the liquids and nasals. The reaction time results suggest relationship with the spelling of English words even though the significant main effects of grade, spelling performance, mode of response and lexicality of the stimulus items need to be interpreted in the context of statistical interactions.     

群体交叉分类效应的代数模型及其潜在加工过程

交叉分类被认为是一种能够有效减少群际偏见的方法。交叉分类效应的代数模型主要包括平均模型、相加模型和等价模型,各个模型都有自己成立的证据,其中支持相加模型的研究证据最多。尽管如此,交叉分类效应的代数模型有很明显的局限,即要求所有进行交叉的类别维度权重相等,这与真实社会情境是相矛盾的。交叉分类的潜在加工过程主要有基于认知角度的类别差异模型和基于动机角度的社会认同两种比较成熟的理论,前者又分为类别差异消除模型和类别差异减少模型。     

The Relationship between Performance in Near Match-to-Sample Tasks and Fluid Intelligence

Match-to-sample is a timed task in which a subject is presented with a visual stimulus (the probe) and must select a match to that stimulus (the target) from among an array of distractors. These tasks are frequently employed as tests of basic cognitive abilities and demonstrate consistent correlations with measures of intelligence. In the current study, a match-to-sample task was modified to produce near-match conditions (trials for which no exact match existed). Two factors were manipulated: type of discrepancy between the target and probe (additive or subtractive) and degree of discrepancy between target and probe (1 element or 2 elements). It was hypothesized that introducing near-match conditions would change the processing demands of the task, resulting in increased correlations between decision time and fluid intelligence. Degree and type of discrepancy affected decision times: participants required more time for 2 element discrepancies and additive type discrepancies. Contrary to expectations, increased decision time on a task did not correspond to higher correlations with fluid intelligence. For type, correlations were larger when participants needed to mentally subtract elements from the target in order to make it match the probe (mean r_additive = .399; mean r_subtractive = .451). For degree, correlations were larger for trials where the probe and target differed by one element (mean r = .470) than for trials where the probe and target differed by two elements (mean r = .380). These results seem to indicate that the relationship between the complexity of a task and general intelligence is not as straightforward as has been commonly believed.     

愉快面孔识别优势及其认知神经机制

愉快面孔识别优势表现为被试对高兴面孔比对其他情绪面孔的识别正确率更高、反应时更短。大量研究以简笔画和面孔图片为材料, 在情绪分类任务和视觉搜索任务中均发现这一优势。该优势存在诊断性价值假说、情绪独特性假说和出现频率假说三种不同的理论解释。近年来, 研究者采用ERP技术发现这一优势形成于反应选择阶段, 但其起始阶段尚无一致结论。未来可借助fMRI技术进一步研究其认知神经机制。     

Quantifying the Interplay of Semantics and Phonology During Failures of Word Retrieval by People With Aphasia Using a Multiplex Lexical Network

Investigating instances where lexical selection fails can lead to deeper insights into the cognitive machinery and architecture supporting successful word retrieval and speech production. In this paper, we used a multiplex lexical network approach that combines semantic and phonological similarities among words to model the structure of the mental lexicon. Network measures at different levels of analysis (degree, network distance, and closeness centrality) were used to investigate the influence of network structure on picture naming accuracy and errors by people with Anomic, Broca's, Conduction, and Wernicke's aphasia. Our results reveal that word retrieval is influenced by the multiplex lexical network structure in at least two ways—(a) the accuracy of production and error type on incorrect productions were influenced by the degree and closeness centrality of the target word, and (b) error type also varied in terms of network distance between the target word and produced error word. Taken together, the analyses demonstrate that network science techniques, particularly the use of the multiplex lexical network to simultaneously represent semantic and phonological relationships among words, reveal how the structure of the mental lexicon influences language processes beyond traditionally examined psycholinguistic variables. We propose a framework for how the multiplex lexical network approach allows for understanding the influence of mental lexicon structure on word retrieval processes, with an eye toward a better understanding of the nature of clinical impairments, like aphasia.     

Differences in Noun and Verb Processing in Lexical Decision Cannot be Attributed to Word Form and Morphological Complexity Alone

It has been suggested that the effect of word category in noun and verb processing reflects typical word class properties, which can be characterized in terms of semantic as well as syntactic and morphological features. The present study is aimed at differentiating and discussing the relative contribution of these aspects with a main focus on syntactic and morphological processing. Experiment 1 established a processing advantage for nouns in German visual lexical decision, using nouns denoting biological and man-made objects as compared to transitive and intransitive verbs. Experiment 2 showed that the noun advantage persisted even when the morphological differences between word categories were reduced by using identical suffixes in nouns and verbs. Overall results suggest that the processing differences cannot be reduced to variables such as frequency, word form, or morphological complexity. Reaction time differences between transitive and intransitive verbs strengthen the role of syntactic information. In line with previous accounts the observed effects are discussed in terms of a category-specific combination of linguistic parameters.     

汉语词汇产生中词汇选择和音韵编码之间的交互作用

采取图画－词汇干扰实验范式,探索汉语单音节词汇产生中词汇选择和音韵编码之间的交互作用。实验一探测目标图画语义相关项的语音激活,观察到了非目标项的语音激活。实验二探测目标图画语义相关项的字形激活,未发现非目标项的字形激活。在改进实验条件的基础上,实验三验证实验一和二,并探测目标图画字形相关项的语音激活以及语音相关项的字形激活,结果未探测到语义相关项的字形或语音激活、语音相关项的字形激活,只发现了字形相关项的语音激活。实验一至三的结果表明汉语词汇产生中存在目标字字形相关项的语音激活,但不存在从音韵编码阶段至词汇选择阶段的激活反馈。综合上述结果,从是否存在多重的字形或语音激活,以及是否存在从音韵编码至词汇选择的反馈两个方面进行了讨论。研究结果倾向于支持词汇产生中层叠式理论的观点     

语义类标记在中国手语词词汇识别和语义提取中的作用

通过2个实验, 考察了语义类标记在中国手语词汇识别和语义提取中的作用。实验1采用手语词汇判断任务, 比较了有、无语义类标记的手语词汇识别。实验2采用语义决定任务, 探讨了语义类标记对手语词语义提取的影响。结果表明, 语义类标记影响聋生对手语词的识别和语义提取。聋生识别有语义类标记的手语词显著快于识别无语义类标记的手语词。当语义类标记与手语词的语义一致时, 能够促进聋生对手语词的语义提取; 当语义类标记与手语词的语义不一致, 会干扰聋生对手语词的语义提取。中国手语词语义类标记效应的发现, 丰富了中国手语词词汇认知的理论, 对聋人的语言教学和概念教学具有重要的启示。     

语素语义信息对言语听辨的影响

实验主要探讨双字词中语素的语义信息对言语听辨的影响。实验采用语义判断任务,实验材料为双字词首字完整语音分别加上尾字的80毫秒、120毫秒、160毫秒、200毫秒4个语音片段,让被试进行听觉词汇判断任务。实验1选用48组双字词作为关键材料,48组作为填充材料,被试根据听到的语音片段判断该词是否为人词,如,“教师”为人词,“非洲”为非人词;实验2选用了56组关键材料、56组填充材料,任务同实验1。实验结果发现,双字词加工的首字语素语义信息在听词辨认的初始参与了加工,强语义联系对尾字的识别有促进作用,弱语义联系对尾字的识别有抑制作用。初步实验结果支持了言语听辨的多重信息并行激活模型——TRACE模型。     

The Impact of Semantic Relevance and Heterogeneity of Pictorial Stimuli on Individual Brainstorming: An Extension of the SIAM Model

Drawing upon the Search for Ideas in Associative Memory (SIAM) model as the theoretical framework, the impact of heterogeneity and topic relevance of visual stimuli on ideation performance was examined. Results from a laboratory experiment showed that visual stimuli increased productivity and diversity of idea generation, that relevance to the topic and homogeneity among visual stimuli increased productivity, whereas homogenous but topic irrelevant stimuli suppressed both productivity and idea diversity. The findings show that the SIAM model applies to visual, as well as to textual, stimuli, and extend the model's arguments with respect to cognitive interference and fixation effects.     

The Word Superiority Effect in central and peripheral vision

The Word Superiority Effect (WSE) is a well-known phenomenon in reading research, where words are reported more accurately than single letters or non-words. We report two experiments that investigate the WSE in the central and peripheral visual field, as well as laterality differences in the perception of words and letters, using methods based on the Theory of Visual Attention. The results show a WSE in the central visual field, reflected in mean scores, perception thresholds, and processing speed, whereas the effect is eliminated or reversed in the periphery. This may be caused by crowding, which prevents lexical analysis of a word in the periphery. We conclude that perception of words and letters differs according to location in the visual field. Linking our results to previous studies of crowding effects in patients with reading impairments, we hypothesize that similar mechanisms may limit normal word peripheral processing.