Search

In the last two decades, La Heij and colleagues have presented accounts of a number of context effects in Stroop-like word-production tasks. Roelofs (2007 this issue) criticises various aspects of our proposals, ranging from the number of processing stages assumed to details of simulation results. In this reply we first argue that we do not challenge spoken-word production models developed in the psycholinguistic tradition for being 'too complex', as Roelofs asserts. Next we discuss Roelofs' detailed criticisms on our proposed solutions. Finally, in response to Roelofs' argument that increasing the structural complexity of our model would render it similar to its main competitor, WEAVER++, we discuss the crucial differences that would still remain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most current models of speech production predict interference from related context words in picture-naming tasks. However, Glaser and Düngelhoff (1984) reported semantic facilitation when the task was changed from basic-level naming to category-level naming. The authors explore two proposals to account for this change in polarity of the semantic context effect: the semantic selection account by Costa, Mahon, Savova, and Caramazza (2003) and a response-congruency account. Experiments 1a and 1b show that category names induce semantic interference in basic-level naming, a finding that disproves the semantic selection account and is in line with the response-congruency account. Experiment 2 reveals that response congruency is probably a major contributor to the overall facilitation effect in categorisation tasks. Finally, Experiment 3 tests and confirms a prediction of the response-congruency account in basic-level naming with subordinate-level distractors. The authors conclude that the available evidence support the response-congruency account and suggest that this congruency effect is localised at the stage of constructing a preverbal message. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We first show that in a word-translation task, context words induce semantic interference whereas context pictures induce semantic facilitation. Experiments 2 and 3 show that this finding is not due to differences between context words and context pictures in terms of (a) relative speed of lexical activation or (b) the category level of the activated concepts. To account for our findings, we propose that conceptually-driven lexical access is confined to the selected target concept (or 'preverbal message'). A version of Starreveld and La Heij's (1996) connectionist model in which this proposal was implemented successfully simulated the polarity and the time course of the semantic context effects observed. In Experiment 4 the prediction that context pictures do not induce lexical context effects was tested and confirmed. Copyright © 2003 by Elsevier Science (USA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In research on visual search within a single eye fixation, a number of different tasks are used and referred to interchangeably. In a previous study, we showed that there are differences between 'go- no go' tasks and 'yes-no' tasks, and we introduced a tentative model in order to explain these differences. In the present study a 'go- no go' task and a 'detection' task are compared under conditions which are as equal as possible. Traditional views of the visual search process predict no essential differences between the two tasks. The tentative model predicts a steeper slope of the array-size function in the 'detection' task than in the 'go- no go' task and predicts that this difference in slopes is stable with practice. The results obtained appeared in accordance with the predictions of the tentative model. This result supports the point of view that response-related factors strongly contribute to the slope of the array-size function. The data are not in accord with predictions following from Estes' (1972) interactive channels model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is concerned with the parallel vs serial processing issue and the closely connected limited capacity vs unlimited capacity issue in simple visual search tasks. The results of four search experiments, two 'go- no go' tasks, and two 'yes-no' tasks are reported. Conditions of low and high target-noise similarity were used. In all four experiments a clear redundancy gain, that is a decrease in RTs with increasing number of simultaneously presented targets, was observed. This strongly suggests parallel processing of unlimited capacity in all four tasks. Further analysis of the data, in order to investigate whether artifacts could have caused the redundancy gains, indicated an unexpected difference between 'go- no go' tasks and 'yes-no' tasks. For the 'go- no go' tasks, unlimited capacity parallel processing could be firmly established. No firm conclusion about the mode of processing in the 'yes-no' tasks reported could be reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In research on visual search within a single eye-fixation a number of different tasks are used and referred to interchangeably. Research with other types of tasks suggests that there are possibly important differences between these tasks. In the present study, two types of search tasks were compared under conditions as equal as possible: the 'go-no go' task and the 'yes-no' task. Conditions of low and high target-noise similarity were used. The results obtained showed: a) a steeper slope of the array size function in 'yes-no' tasks than in 'go-no go' tasks on the first day of practice but not on the second: b) a higher intercept value of the same function for 'yes-no' tasks than for 'go-no go' tasks; and c) a greater proportion of errors with 'yes-no' tasks than with comparable 'go-no go' tasks. A tentative model, describing the main features of the results obtained, is briefly sketched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]