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CATEGORIES OF INTERFERENCE: VERBAL MEDIATION AND CONFLICT IN CARD SORTING
Author(s) -
MORTON JOHN
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
british journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.536
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8295
pISSN - 0007-1269
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1969.tb01204.x
Subject(s) - card sorting , stroop effect , psychology , symbol (formal) , sorting , mediation , communication , interference (communication) , sort , task (project management) , word (group theory) , arithmetic , cognitive psychology , cognition , computer science , linguistics , algorithm , neuroscience , mathematics , channel (broadcasting) , philosophy , management , law , political science , programming language , economics , computer network
When subjects sort cards by the number of symbols on the cards, the nature of the symbols interferes with the sorting in ways which are similar to those shown by Klein (1964) using a variant of the Stroop test. When the symbols have names, such as letters and words, there is a decrement in performance; when the symbols are digits the decrement is increased. These and related results form the basis of a functional model in which different types of interference between stimuli can be enumerated, and those operating in the sorting task isolated. The features of the final model are: (1) sorting proceeds via a verbal mediation; (2) the process of recognition of familiar named symbols is autonomous and results in the availability of the name of the symbol; (3) this name enters the same store as the mediating response and so can delay it; (4) in the present range of tasks there is no interference prior to the availability of the symbol name; (5) learning to reduce interference does result in a change prior to this stage; (6) the interference effects are analogous to word recognition phenomena.