Set, stress, and efficiency of semantic generalization.

Abstract

This study tests the hypothesis that type of generalization (synonyms vs. homophones) is a function of set induced by instructions (semantic, phonic, or ambiguous) and of type of US (shock vs. buzzer) used in the original conditioning procedure. The GSR of 96 Ss was conditioned to a word (CS) under the appropriate experimental conditions and tested subsequently for generalization to a synonym and homophone of the CS. The influence of set on type of generalization was clearly demonstrated, but there was no effect of type of US. These results are related to previous studies and to the concept of psychological efficiency.

An old problem for the new psychosemantics: Synonymity.

“…Since Razran's study, many investigations have observed semantic generalization across a wide range of stimuli and responses (for reviews of this work, see Cofer & Foley, 1942;Creelman, 1966;Feather, 1965). Peastrel, Wishner, and Kaplan (1968), though, showed that generalization was greatest to synonyms when subjects were set to process meaning during conditioning and was greatest to homophones when subjects were set to process acoustic properties of the conditioned stimulus, and no clear difference between synonyms and homophones emerged when the set was ambiguous. Finally, two studies have found generalization to antonyms, as well as to synonyms, but there were no significant differences in the effects of these two kinds of meaning (Korn, 1966;Lerner, 1968).…”

Discrimination as a factor in semantic generalization.

“…Razran (1949) has concluded that the introduction of an associative set just prior to testing can change the nature of generalization, although Eisen (1954) was unable to obtain such a result. On the other hand, Peastrel, Wishner, and Kaplan (1968), who introduced such a set prior to training, found that 5s instructed to attend to the sound of the CS word showed greater generalization to homonyms of the CS, while 5s instructed to attend to the meaning of the CS subsequently showed greater generalization to synonyms.…”