Semantic variables both help and hinder word production: Behavioural evidence from picture naming

Abstract

This research investigated how word production is influenced by six feature-based semantic variables (number of semantic features, intercorrelational density, number of near semantic neighbours, semantic similarity, typicality, and distinctiveness). We simultaneously investigated effects of the six semantic variables on spoken picture naming in a large group of participants (n = 87), while controlling for other psycholinguistic variables. Across analyses, number of semantic features was the most consistent predictor with a facilitatory effect on naming latency and accuracy. In addition, inhibitory effects were found on naming accuracy for intercorrelational density and on naming latency for distinctiveness. The facilitatory effect of number of semantic features is suggested to stem from stronger semantic activation with an increasing number of semantic features, which results in facilitated selection of the word’s lexical representation. In contrast, the inhibitory effect of intercorrelational density is most easily accounted for by increased competition at the lexical level. The mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect of distinctiveness is unclear. These findings indicate that future research on factors affecting word retrieval should also control for effects of number of semantic features, intercorrelational density, and distinctiveness. They also suggest that effects of the other semantic variables (e.g., semantic neighbours) reported in the literature were potentially overestimated due to insufficient control of other semantic and/or psycholinguistic variables.

Semantic variables both help and hinder word production: Behavioral evidence from picture naming.

“…In addition to naming latency and accuracy, a continuous EEG signal was recorded using a 64 channels ActiveTwo BioSemi system (BioSemi, Amsterdam, the Netherlands). The EEG data are reported elsewhere (Lampe, Bürki, et al, 2021). The simple picture naming task analyzed here was the first task in a larger study that involved the participants subsequently naming the same pictures twice more in different experimental paradigms (e.g., Lampe, Hameau, & Nickels, 2021).…”

“…The EEG data are reported elsewhere (Lampe, Bürki, et al, 2021). The simple picture naming task analyzed here was the first task in a larger study that involved the participants subsequently naming the same pictures twice more in different experimental paradigms (e.g., Lampe, Hameau, & Nickels, 2021).…”

Effects of phonological neighbourhood density and frequency in picture naming

“…Second, it needs to be acknowledged that DRC-SEM, in its current form, has limited ability to simulate effects happening or arising at the level of semantics (aside from the imageability scaling for some words). For instance, a small number of picture naming studies have shown that the number of semantic features of a given concept (or semantic richness) has a facilitatory effect on latencies and accuracy (Lampe et al, 2021;Rabovsky et al, 2016;Taylor et al, 2012). Consequently, a more comprehensive version of DRC-SEM should incorporate such effects.…”