Dynamics of activation of semantically similar concepts during spoken word recognition |
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Authors: | Daniel Mirman James S Magnuson |
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Institution: | 1.Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute,Philadelphia;2.University of Connecticut,Storrs;3.Haskins Laboratories,New Haven |
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Abstract: | Semantic similarity effects provide critical insight into the organization of semantic knowledge and the nature of semantic
processing. In the present study, we examined the dynamics of semantic similarity effects by using the visual world eyetracking
paradigm. Four objects were shown on a computer monitor, and participants were instructed to click on a named object, during
which time their gaze position was recorded. The likelihood of fixating competitor objects was predicted by the degree of
semantic similarity to the target concept. We found reliable, graded competition that depended on degree of target-competitor
similarity, even for distantly related items for which priming has not been found in previous priming studies. Time course
measures revealed a consistently earlier fixation peak for near semantic neighbors relative to targets. Computational investigations
with an attractor dynamical model, a spreading activation model, and a decision model revealed that a combination of excitatory
and inhibitory mechanisms is required to obtain such peak timing, providing new constraints on models of semantic processing. |
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