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When does reading dirty words impede picture processing? Taboo interference with verbal and manual responses
Andreas Mädebach1, Anna-Maria Markuske2, Jörg D Jescheniak2
1Department of Psychology, Leipzig University, Neumarkt 9-19, D-04109, Leipzig, Germany. maedebach@uni-leipzig.de.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|May 24, 2018
Summary
Taboo words slow down picture naming by interfering with lexical processing, not just verbal self-monitoring. This interference occurs earlier than previously thought, impacting word retrieval.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Taboo interference effect is the phenomenon where taboo words slow down cognitive tasks.
- Previous research suggested this effect stems from attentional capture or verbal self-monitoring.
- The precise cognitive stages and locus of this interference remain debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cognitive cause and locus of the taboo interference effect.
- To differentiate between interference during prelexical, lexical, and articulatory stages.
- To determine if task difficulty modulates the taboo interference effect.
Main Methods:
- Compared three tasks: picture naming, phoneme decision, and size decision, using identical target pictures.
- Manipulated task difficulty in the size decision task by visually degrading images.
- Measured reaction times and interference effects across tasks and conditions.
Main Results:
- Taboo interference was observed in picture naming and phoneme decision tasks.
- Taboo interference was not reliably found in the size decision task under standard conditions.
- Increased difficulty in the size decision task led to the emergence of taboo interference.
Conclusions:
- Taboo interference is not solely due to verbal self-monitoring during articulation.
- The effect arises during lexical processing and, with sufficient difficulty, during prelexical processing.
- Taboo interference impacts cognitive processes preceding overt speech production.
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