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Comparing the Frequency Effect Between the Lexical Decision and Naming Tasks in Chinese
Published on: April 1, 2016
On the lexical representation(s) of compounds: A continuous picture naming study
Anna-Lisa Döring1, Rasha Abdel Rahman1, Pienie Zwitserlood1
1Department of Psychology.
This study shows that the first parts of compound words activate their own meanings during speech, causing delays in saying the full word. This supports the idea that multiple word meanings are active when we speak compound words.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Cognitive Psychology
- Speech Production
Background:
- The lexical representation of compound words during speech production is debated.
- Healthy adults often show single lemma activation, while neuropsychological data suggest multiple lemma activation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the lexical representation of compound words in speech production.
- To examine if constituent lemmas are activated during compound production using the cumulative semantic interference effect.
Main Methods:
- A continuous picture naming experiment was conducted.
- Category membership was defined by the first constituent of compounds (e.g., animals).
- Cumulative semantic interference was measured by naming latencies.
Main Results:
- Cumulative semantic interference was observed for compound words, similar to monomorphemic words.
- Naming latencies increased with each additional category member, indicating interference.
- This suggests activation of the first constituents' lemmas during compound production.
Conclusions:
- Results support the multiple-lemma representation account for compound word production.
- Differences with previous studies may stem from varying experimental paradigms.
- Constituent lemma activation influences the speech production of compound words.
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