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Associative response heterogeneity: an indicator of stimulus word semantic autonomy
Author(s) -
FLEKKØY KJELL
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9450.1987.tb00906.x
Subject(s) - associative property , psychology , stimulus (psychology) , autonomy , cognitive psychology , semantic similarity , natural language processing , computer science , mathematics , political science , pure mathematics , law
The total number of different responses, given by a group of subjects to a stimulus word in a single‐word, free‐association situation ( D ), is a primary determinant of associative response latency (Tecce & Glassco, 1965; Flekkøy, 1981). D has traditionally been assumed to reflect a word's associative potential, and the increased latency to high D words has been explained by response competition. The results of the present experiments indicate, however, that D reflects in an inverse manner semantic autonomy , high D words requiring more contextual information for their semantic specification than low D words. The process of semantic specification requires time, creating the positive D ‐response latency relationship. Based on a semantic interpretation of D , associative response heterogeneity may be used as an index of a word's semantic autonomy.