Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
Published on: February 26, 2020
The picture-word interference effect is not a Stroop effect
R Dell'Acqua1, R Job, F Peressotti
1Università di Padova, Padova, Italy. dar@unipd.it
Abstract:
A psychological refractory period (PRP) paradigm was used to isolate the locus of the picture-word interference effect along the chain of processes subtended in name production. Two stimuli were presented sequentially on each trial, separated by a varying stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA). The first stimulus, SI, was a tone that required a manual response. The second stimulus, S2, was a picture-word stimulus associated with picture naming. The distractor word was conceptually related to the picture on half of the trials, and unrelated in the other trials. A picture-word interference effect was found at long SOA, but not at short SOA. Such underadditive interaction between SOA and semantic relatedness suggests strongly that the locus of the picture-word interference effect is functionally earlier than the PRP effect locus. The results are discussed in relation to models of word production suggesting the involvement of central mechanisms in the selection of lexical output.
Related Concept Videos
Causes of Similarity-Dissimilarity Effect
Interference and Decay
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
Cause and Effect
Interference and Superposition of Waves
Interference occurs in mechanical waves, such as sound waves, waves on a string, and surface water waves. Mechanical waves correspond to the physical displacement of particles. Hence,...
Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon

