Is an apple a fruit? Semantic relatedness as reflected by psychophysiological responsivity.
In the present study, we investigated orienting response generalization across various types of semantically related stimuli. Four experiments, based on a modified version of the guilty knowledge technique, were designed to examine whether semantic relations based on abstract features are reflected by electrodermal responsivity. No generalization across coordinates was obtained, but a moderate degree of generalization was demonstrated between a word and its superordinate category (e.g., table-furniture) and between a word and its synonym. Complete generalization occurred from a verbal label of an object to its pictorial representation, and vice versa. These results are compatible with our proposal that partial identification of the test stimulus as relevant is a necessary condition for generalization in the guilty knowledge technique.
Ben-Shakhar
G
G
Department of Psychology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
Frost
R
R
Gati
I
I
Kresh
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D012660:Semantics; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena