Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
Effects of cognitive set upon laboratory induced verbal (Freudian) slips
Abstract:
Subjects participated in either of three treatments of a task which elicits verbal slips. With equal chance probabilities of eliciting verbal slips related either to electricity or to sex, subjects receiving a situational cognitive set toward electric shocks made more electricity-type verbal slips than sex-type errors, while the opposite was true for a situational cognitive set toward sex, and no difference occurred for a neutral cognitive set. Results provide insight into psycholinguistic processing of both naturally occurring verbal slips and normal error-free speech.
Related Concept Videos
The Scientific Method
Social Facilitation
Cognitive Learning
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
Language and Cognition
False Memories
One primary source of false memories is misattribution, where individuals incorrectly associate external information with...
Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes

