title: Picture-word differences in decision latency: An analysis of single and dual memory models.
abstract: Semantic and perceptual size decision times for pictorial and verbal material were analyzed in the context of a unitary memory model and several dual memory models. Experiment 1 involved a same-different categorical judgment task. The results showed that picture-picture response latencies were 185 msec faster than the corresponding word-word latencies, and word-picture and picture-word latencies equaled the mean of these two extremes. Similarity of subcategory for "same" judgments led to faster decision latency for all presentation conditions. Additionally, a linear relationship was found between picture-picture and word-word latencies for individual item pairs. Experiment 2 involved a comparison of pictures and words across a. categorical judgment and a size judgment task. Pictures produced faster decision latencies in both tasks, and the latency diflerence between pictures and words was comparable across tasks. These data fit the predictions of a unitary memory model. Several variants of a dual memory model are rejected and those which fit the data require assumptions about storage and/or transfer time values which result in a functional regression to the unitary memory model.
authors.affiliation: Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, 15260, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Pellegrino
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Rosinski
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Chiesi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siegel