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Age of acquisition effects on an object-name verification task
1Division of Psychology, Institute of Health and Social Care, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, UK. j.catling@worc.ac.uk
British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)
|February 9, 2006
Summary
The age of acquisition (AoA) impacts object verification speed, with earlier learned objects verified faster. This suggests AoA effects extend beyond naming to general information retrieval.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- The age of acquisition (AoA) influences word, object, and face naming latencies.
- Traditional explanations focused on name representation access, but recent studies show AoA effects in non-naming tasks.
- An alternative theory proposes AoA effects arise in any task involving retrieval of stored information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of AoA on an object-name verification task.
- To compare the magnitude of AoA effects in object verification versus naming.
Main Methods:
- Experiments 1 and 2: Object-name verification task using pictures.
- Experiment 3: Collection of naming latencies for the same picture stimuli.
- Statistical analysis to compare verification times and naming latencies based on AoA.
Main Results:
- Early acquired objects were verified significantly faster than later acquired objects.
- The study provides data for comparing the magnitude of AoA effects across different tasks.
Conclusions:
- AoA effects are not limited to naming but extend to object-name verification.
- Findings support theories suggesting AoA effects are related to the retrieval of general stored information, not just name access.
- The locus of AoA effects may be broader than previously assumed.