scholarly journals Modeling the distributional dynamics of attention and semantic interference in word production

Cognition ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. 104636
Author(s):  
Aitor San José ◽  
Ardi Roelofs ◽  
Antje S. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Word Production ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Distributional Dynamics

scholarly journals An Information-Theoretic Account of Semantic Interference in Word Production

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Futrell
Keyword(s):  
Mutual Information ◽  
Semantic Similarity ◽  
Rate Distortion ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Interference Effects ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Information Theoretic ◽  
Human Data ◽  
Level Model ◽  
Computational Level

I present a computational-level model of semantic interference effects in online word production within a rate–distortion framework. I consider a bounded-rational agent trying to produce words. The agent's action policy is determined by maximizing accuracy in production subject to computational constraints. These computational constraints are formalized using mutual information. I show that semantic similarity-based interference among words falls out naturally from this setup, and I present a series of simulations showing that the model captures some of the key empirical patterns observed in Stroop and Picture–Word Interference paradigms, including comparisons to human data from previous experiments.

scholarly journals Semantic interference is not modality specific: Evidence from sound naming with distractor pictures

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Wöhner ◽  
Jörg D. Jescheniak ◽  
Andreas Mädebach
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Lexical Selection ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Task Interference ◽  
Central Processing ◽  
Selection Mechanisms ◽  
Dual Task Interference ◽  
Naming Tasks

In three experiments participants named environmental sounds (e.g., the bleating of a sheep by producing the word “sheep”) in the presence of distractor pictures. In Experiment 1 we observed faster responses in sound naming with congruent pictures (e.g., sheep; congruency facilitation) and slower responses with semantically related pictures (e.g., donkey; semantic interference), each compared to unrelated pictures (e.g., violin). In Experiments 2 and 3, we replicated these effects and used a psychological refractory period approach (combining an arrow decision or letter rotation task as task 1 with sound naming as task 2) to investigate the locus of the effects. Congruency facilitation was underadditive with dual -task interference suggesting that it arises, in part, during pre-central processing stages in sound naming (i.e., sound identification). In contrast, semantic interference was additive with dual -task interference suggesting that it arises during central (or post-central) processing stages in sound naming (i.e., response selection or later processes). These results demonstrate the feasibility of sound naming tasks for chronometric investigations of word production. Furthermore, they highlight that semantic interference is not restricted to the use of target pictures and distractor words but can be observed with quite different target-distractor configurations. The experiments support the view that congruency facilitation and semantic interference reflect some general cognitive mechanism involved in word production. These results are discussed in the context of the debate about semantic-lexical selection mechanisms in word production.

scholarly journals Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation over the left posterior superior temporal gyrus on picture-word interference

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0242941
Author(s):  
Vitória Piai ◽  
Laura Nieberlein ◽  
Gesa Hartwigsen
Keyword(s):  
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Brain State ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Interference Task

Word-production theories argue that during language production, a concept activates multiple lexical candidates in left temporal cortex, and the intended word is selected from this set. Evidence for theories on spoken-word production comes, for example, from the picture-word interference task, where participants name pictures superimposed by congruent (e.g., picture: rabbit, distractor “rabbit”), categorically related (e.g., distractor “sheep”), or unrelated (e.g., distractor “fork”) words. Typically, whereas congruent distractors facilitate naming, related distractors slow down picture naming relative to unrelated distractors, resulting in semantic interference. However, the neural correlates of semantic interference are debated. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that the left mid-to-posterior STG (pSTG) is involved in the interference associated with semantically related distractors. To probe the functional relevance of this area, we targeted the left pSTG with focal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) while subjects performed a picture-word interference task. Unexpectedly, pSTG stimulation did not affect the semantic interference effect but selectively increased the congruency effect (i.e., faster naming with congruent distractors). The facilitatory TMS effect selectively occurred in the more difficult list with an overall lower name agreement. Our study adds new evidence to the causal role of the left pSTG in the interaction between picture and distractor representations or processing streams, only partly supporting previous neuroimaging studies. Moreover, the observed unexpected condition-specific facilitatory rTMS effect argues for an interaction of the task- or stimulus-induced brain state with the modulatory TMS effect. These issues should be systematically addressed in future rTMS studies on language production.

scholarly journals Behavioral interference or facilitation does not distinguish between competitive and noncompetitive accounts of lexical selection in word production.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary M. Oppenheim ◽  
Nazbanou Nozari
Keyword(s):  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Threshold Models ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Lexical Selection ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Relative Threshold ◽  
Selection Algorithms ◽  
Naming Latencies

One of the major debates in the field of word production is whether lexical selection is competitive or not. For nearly half a century, semantic interference effects in picture naming latencies have been claimed as evidence for competitive (relative threshold) models of lexical selection, while semantic facilitation effects have been claimed as evidence for non-competitive (simple threshold) models instead. In this paper, we use a computational modeling approach to compare the consequences of competitive and noncompetitive selection algorithms for blocked cyclic picture naming latencies, combined with two approaches to representing taxonomic and thematic semantic features. We show that although our simple model can capture both semantic interference and facilitation, the presence or absence of competition in the selection mechanism is unrelated to the polarity of these semantic effects. These results question the validity of prior assumptions and offer new perspectives on the origins of interference and facilitation in language production.

scholarly journals Semantic interference is not modality specific: Evidence from sound naming with distractor pictures

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 2290-2308
Author(s):  
Stefan Wöhner ◽  
Jörg D Jescheniak ◽  
Andreas Mädebach
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Lexical Selection ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Task Interference ◽  
Central Processing ◽  
Selection Mechanisms ◽  
Dual Task Interference ◽  
Naming Tasks

In three experiments, participants named environmental sounds (e.g., the bleating of a sheep by producing the word “sheep”) in the presence of distractor pictures. In Experiment 1, we observed faster responses in sound naming with congruent pictures (e.g., sheep; congruency facilitation) and slower responses with semantically related pictures (e.g., donkey; semantic interference), each compared with unrelated pictures (e.g., violin). In Experiments 2 and 3, we replicated these effects and used a psychological refractory period approach (combining an arrow decision or letter rotation task as Task 1 with sound naming as Task 2) to investigate the locus of the effects. Congruency facilitation was underadditive with dual-task interference suggesting that it arises, in part, during pre-central processing stages in sound naming (i.e., sound identification). In contrast, semantic interference was additive with dual-task interference suggesting that it arises during central (or post-central) processing stages in sound naming (i.e., response selection or later processes). These results demonstrate the feasibility of sound naming tasks for chronometric investigations of word production. Furthermore, they highlight that semantic interference is not restricted to the use of target pictures and distractor words but can be observed with quite different target–distractor configurations. The experiments support the view that congruency facilitation and semantic interference reflect some general cognitive mechanism involved in word production. These results are discussed in the context of the debate about semantic-lexical selection mechanisms in word production.

EXPRESS: Mediated Phonological-Semantic Priming in Spoken Word Production: Evidence for Cascaded Processing from Picture-Word Interference

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110105
Author(s):  
Matteo Mascelloni ◽  
Katie L McMahon ◽  
Vitoria Piai ◽  
Daniel Kleinman ◽  
Greig de Zubicaray
Keyword(s):  
Interference Effect ◽  
Spoken Word ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Lexical Retrieval ◽  
Lexical Selection ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Spoken Word Production ◽  
Lexical Representations ◽  
Phonological Word ◽  
Production Models

While there is consensus regarding a two-step architecture involving lexical-conceptual and phonological word form levels of processing, accounts of how activation spreads between them (e.g. in a serial, cascaded, or interactive fashion) remain contentious. In addition, production models differ with respect to whether selection occurs at lexical or post-lexical levels. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether mediated phonological-semantic relations (e.g., drip is phonologically related to drill that is semantically related to hammer) influence production in adults as predicted by models implementing cascaded processing and feedback between levels. Two experiments using the Picture-Word Interference (PWI) paradigm were conducted using auditory (Exp. 1) and written (Exp. 2) distractors. We hypothesised that a mediated semantic interference effect would be observable in the former with the involvement of both spoken word production and recognition, and in the latter if lexical representations are shared between written and spoken words in English, as assumed by some production accounts. Further, we hypothesised a mediated semantic interference effect would be inconsistent with a post-lexical selection account as the distractors do not constitute a relevant response for the target picture (e.g., drip-HAMMER). We observed mediated semantic interference only from auditory distractors, while observing the standard semantic interference effect from both auditory and written distractors. The current findings represent the first chronometric evidence involving spoken word production and recognition in support of cascaded processing during lexical retrieval in adults and present a significant challenge for the post-lexical selection account.

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