Psychology: Word Processing and Activation Effects

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Questions and Answers

What is a characteristic of high context variability words?

They are less likely needed in future contexts.

They have very niche usages.

They can be used in a variety of situations. (correct)

They are more memorable in specific contexts.

Which factor contributes to the stronger memory benefits for words presented in varying contexts?

Using the same background for all words.

Presenting words in the same font color.

Repetition in different contexts. (correct)

Massed presentation of the same words.

What does rational analysis suggest about cognition and memory?

Cognition is shaped by environmental probabilities. (correct)

All words are equally retained over time.

Memory is usually based on history alone.

Frequency is the only factor for memory retention.

What term describes the phenomenon of enhanced memory when words are repeated over separated times?

Spacing effect. Signup and view all the answers

In which scenario are low context variability words more easily recalled?

When they are repeated in the same context. Signup and view all the answers

Which analogy is used to explain high context variability words?

A hammer as a versatile tool. Signup and view all the answers

What typically happens to memory recall for high context variability words in episodic memory tasks?

They are generally harder to remember. Signup and view all the answers

What effect does context variability have on recognition memory?

Low context variability words may be recognized with greater certainty. Signup and view all the answers

Which theory suggests that children learn language through reinforcement and operant conditioning?

Skinner's theory Signup and view all the answers

What key problem did Chomsky identify in Skinner's argument about language learning?

The scarcity of language in the environment Signup and view all the answers

According to Chomsky, what is the main mechanism through which language is acquired?

Universal grammar Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following outcomes resulted from Chomsky's critique of behaviorism?

A rise in nativist perspectives on language learning Signup and view all the answers

How many words are children estimated to learn on average each year by the age of five?

2,000-3,000 words Signup and view all the answers

What are modern neural network models commonly used for?

Web searches and face recognition Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of deep learning models?

They typically have around 10-20 layers. Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect of language processing does Chomsky criticize?

The behaviorist account of language learning Signup and view all the answers

What does the spreading activation account relate to in cognitive psychology?

Memory retrieval and priming effects Signup and view all the answers

What type of model is the TRACE model used to analyze?

Speech segmentation Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the phoneme perception when hearing the word 'BUILDS' after 'BOB'?

It suppresses the perception of 'BOB'. Signup and view all the answers

What does the TRACE model struggle to account for in word perception?

The influence of semantics on word perception. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of word perception, what is meant by 'lateral inhibition'?

It allows one word to be suppressed by another. Signup and view all the answers

Which example illustrates the role of linguistic context in word perception?

'BIG GIRL' vs. 'BIG EARL'. Signup and view all the answers

What is a major consideration in the interaction of bottom-up and top-down processing in language perception?

It is facilitated by semantic consistency. Signup and view all the answers

What do many linguists believe about words ending with hard consonants?

They are a rule with many exceptions. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key takeaway regarding language learning from the interaction of perception models?

Understanding language involves recognizing both rules and exceptions. Signup and view all the answers

Why might individuals perceive 'WING' rather than 'RING' in the phrase 'The _ing had feathers'?

The semantic context suggests a connection to feathers. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary concept described by spreading activation?

Reading a word increases its activation and related words. Signup and view all the answers

What is implied by the word frequency effect?

High frequency words are accessed more easily in the mental lexicon. Signup and view all the answers

How does repetition of words affect the reaction time difference between high frequency and low frequency words?

It eliminates the difference. Signup and view all the answers

Which method is used to measure gaze durations during reading?

Eyetracking. Signup and view all the answers

What happens to activation strength when words are further apart in the mental lexicon?

Activation strength decreases. Signup and view all the answers

Which databases are mentioned as modern tools for quantifying word frequency?

SUBTLEX database and Twitter conversations. Signup and view all the answers

What did Rayner and Duffy's research using eyetracking reveal about reading high frequency vs. low frequency words?

Low frequency words have longer gaze durations. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes how activation decays over time in spreading activation models?

Activation decreases as time passes. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Spreading Activation

Reading a word increases its activation.
This activation also increases the activation of related words in the lexicon (mental dictionary).
This effect decays over time, which is why priming effects are often short-lived.

Word Frequency Effect

High-frequency words are processed faster than low-frequency words.
This is due to frequent words being more readily accessible in the mental lexicon.
Frequency is often quantified by a corpus analysis, which counts the frequency of words in a large set of texts.
Digital databases such as SUBTLEX and Twitter conversations are also used to measure word frequency.
Repetition eliminates the advantage of high-frequency words, as repetition boosts activation to its maximum level.

Context Variability Effect

High context variability (HCV) words, which have multiple meanings and are used in various contexts, are more likely to be needed in future contexts than low context variability (LCV) words.
LCV words have very specific or niche usages.
HCV words show stronger benefits of repetition when presented in different contexts (e.g., different backgrounds or font colors) compared to LCV words.
LCV words have advantages in episodic memory tasks, such as free recall and recognition memory.
This is because it's easier to recall a word that was present in few other contexts during an experiment.

Interactive Activation Model

This model explains how context is used to process letters.
It involves multiple layers of processing, including a phoneme layer and a word layer.
Lateral inhibition occurs between words at the word layer, suppressing competing words while enhancing the most likely word.

TRACE Model

This model is used to model speech segmentation.
It combines bottom-up acoustic information with top-down knowledge about words.
It can be used to explain how we can recognize words even in noisy or ambiguous conditions.

Language Acquisition

The poverty of the stimulus argument posits that children are exposed to limited language data, yet are able to produce novel sentences they've never heard before.
This suggests that language learning is innate and is facilitated by a universal grammar.
However, the role of the environment and interaction in language acquisition is also crucial.

PDP Models:

Parallel Distributed Processing (PDP) models have risen to challenge classical models of language comprehension and acquisition.
They emphasize the interconnectivity and parallel processing of nodes representing different units (e.g., letters, words, concepts).
These models often demonstrate surprising performance in tasks like past tense acquisition, even though it can be difficult to fully understand their internal workings.

Chomsky's Critique of Skinner's Behaviorist Account

Chomsky argued that language learning is too complex to be explained by operant conditioning alone.
He believed that language is a product of a genetically determined language faculty (Universal Grammar), with innate rules governing sentence structure.
This critique challenged the dominance of behaviorism in psychological research and contributed to the cognitive revolution.

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Description

Explore the fascinating concepts of spreading activation, word frequency effects, and context variability in the realm of cognitive psychology. This quiz delves into how our mental lexicon processes words and how activation influences comprehension. Test your understanding of these critical components of language processing.