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Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology
Published on: June 29, 2021
Language production is facilitated by semantic richness but inhibited by semantic density: Evidence from picture
Milena Rabovsky1, Daniel J Schad2, Rasha Abdel Rahman1
1Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
Communicating meaningful messages is the ultimate goal of language production. Yet, verbal messages can differ widely in the complexity and richness of their semantic content, and such differences should strongly modulate conceptual and lexical encoding processes during speech planning. However, despite the crucial role of semantic content in language production, the influence of this variability is currently unclear. Here, we investigate influences of the number of associated semantic features and intercorrelational feature density on language production during picture naming. While the number of semantic features facilitated naming, intercorrelational feature density inhibited naming. Both effects follow naturally from the assumption of conceptual facilitation and simultaneous lexical competition. They are difficult to accommodate with language production theories dismissing lexical competition.
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