title: On the origin of the "cumulative semantic inhibition" effect.
abstract: We investigated whether the cumulative semantic inhibition effect found by Howard, Nickels, Coltheart, and Cole-Virtue (2006) provides information about semantic representations. By applying more sensitive statistical analyses to the original data set, we found a significant variation in the magnitude of the effect across categories. This variation cannot be explained by the naming speed of each category. In addition, using a subsample of the data, a second cumulative effect arouse for newly defined supracategories, over and above the effect of the original ones. We discuss these findings in terms of the representations that drive lexical access and show that they favor featural or distributed hypotheses.
authors: Aix-Marseille Université and C.N.R.S., 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France. francois-xavier.alario@univ-provence.fr
authors: F-Xavier
authors: FX
authors: Alario
authors: Fermín Moscoso Del Prado
authors: FM
authors: Martín
mesh_terms: D001245:Association Learning; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D016014:Linear Models; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011930:Reaction Time; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012660:Semantics; D012691:Serial Learning; D014706:Verbal Learning