Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: June 25, 2019
Differences in noun and verb processing in lexical decision cannot be attributed to word form and morphological
Christina Kauschke1, Prisca Stenneken
1Department of German Linguistics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Wilhelm-Röpke-Strasse 6, 35032, Marburg, Germany. kauschke@staff.uni-marburg.de
Abstract:
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.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Components of Language
Language and Cognition
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior
Decision Making
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
Conjugate Addition (1,4-Addition) vs Direct Addition (1,2-Addition)
Conjugate addition results in a thermodynamically stable product. The reaction retains the stronger C=O bond at the expense of the weaker C=C π bond. The process is slow as the β carbon is less electrophilic than the carbonyl carbon.
Direct addition products are formed faster owing to...

