Relation of number of different responses to group size and stimulus words in a discrete free-association situation

FlekkØy, K., Holme, I. & Mohn, E. Relation of number of different responses to group size and stimulus words in a discrete free-association situation. Scand. J. Psychol., 1973, 14, 4–8.-An exploration of the total number (D) of different responses given to a stimulus word in a single-word, free-association situation showed that (1) the first 50 Kent-Rosanoff words (in Norwegian) were highly heterogeneous with regard to D; (2) was an asymptotic function of the number of subjects; and (3) the larger D for schizophrenics may be attributed to their higher frequency of individual responses. It was also indicated that D may not be a valid measure of the magnitude of the associative potential of the individual.