scholarly journals Semantic Interference through Multiple Distractors in Picture Naming in People with Aphasia

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Cornelia van Scherpenberg ◽  
Rasha Abdel Rahman ◽  
Frank Regenbrecht ◽  
Hellmuth Obrig
Keyword(s):  
Interference Effect ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Semantic Context ◽  
Lexical Representation ◽  
Lexical Retrieval ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
The Impact

Abstract When we refer to an object or concept by its name, activation of semantic and categorical information is necessary to retrieve the correct lexical representation. Whereas in neurotypical participants it is well established that semantic context can interfere with or facilitate lexical retrieval, these effects are much less studied in people with lesions to the language network and impairment at different steps of lexical-semantic processing. Here, we applied a novel picture naming paradigm, where multiple categorically related and unrelated words were presented as distractors before a to-be-named target picture. Using eye tracking, we investigated preferential fixation on the cohort members versus nonmembers. Thereby, we can judge the impact of explicit acknowledgment of the category and its effect on semantic interference. We found that, in contrast to neurotypical participants [van Scherpenberg, C., Abdel Rahman, R., & Obrig, H. A novel multiword paradigm for investigating semantic context effects in language production. PLoS One, 15, e0230439, 2020], participants suffering from mild to moderate aphasia did not show a fixation preference on category members but still showed a large interference effect of ∼35 msec, confirming the implicit mechanism of categorical interference. However, preferential fixation on the categorically related cohort words correlated with clinical tests regarding nonverbal semantic abilities and integrity of the anterior temporal lobe. This highlights the role of supramodal semantics for explicit recognition of a semantic category, while semantic interference is triggered if the threshold of lexical cohort activation is reached. Confirming psycholinguistic evidence, the demonstration of a large and persistent interference effect through implicit lexico-semantic activation is important to understand deficits in people with a lesion in thelanguage network, potentially relevant for individualized intervention aiming at improving naming skills.

scholarly journals Semantic interference through multiple distractors in picture naming in people with aphasia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia van Scherpenberg ◽  
Rasha Abdel Rahman ◽  
Frank Regenbrecht ◽  
Hellmuth Obrig
Keyword(s):  
Picture Naming ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Lexical Representation ◽  
Naming Speed ◽  
Lexical Retrieval ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Categorical Information ◽  
Speed And Accuracy ◽  
Language Network

When we refer to an object or concept by its name, activation of semantic and categorical information is necessary to retrieve the correct lexical representation. While in neurotypical participants it is well established that semantic context can interfere with or facilitate lexical retrieval, these effects are much less studied in people with lesions to the language network and impairment at different steps of lexical- semantic processing.Here we applied a novel picture naming paradigm, where multiple categorically related and unrelated words were presented as distractors before a to-be-named target picture. Using eye tracking we investigated preferential fixation on the cohort members vs non-members. Thereby we could test whether explicit acknowledgement of the category is mandatory to induce semantic interference. We found that in contrast to neurotypical participants (van Scherpenberg, Abdel Rahman, & Obrig, 2020), participants suffering from mild to moderate aphasia did not explicitly acknowledge the categorical relationship, but still showed a large interference effect of ~35 ms. On the contrary, preferential fixation on the categorically related cohort words correlated with higher non-verbal semantic abilities and integrity of the anterior temporal lobe (ATL). This highlights the role of supramodal semantics – putatively housed in the ATL – for explicit semantic processing while semantic interference may be largely independent thereof. Our study adds further evidence to the observation that despite the implicit, automatic nature of semantic processing, it can influence naming speed and accuracy. This may be of particular importance to understand and intervene with linguistic deficits in people with aphasia.

scholarly journals A novel multi-word paradigm for investigating semantic context effects in language production

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia van Scherpenberg ◽  
Rasha Abdel Rahman ◽  
Hellmuth Obrig
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Semantic Context ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Target Picture ◽  
Novel Variant ◽  
Lexical Interference ◽  
Respective Category

Semantic context modulates precision and speed of language production. Using different experimental designs including the Picture-Word-Interference (PWI) paradigm, it has consistently been shown that categorically related distractor words (e.g., cat) inhibit retrieval of the target picture name (dog). Here we introduce a novel variant of the PWI paradigm in which we present 8 words prior to a to be named target picture. Within this set, the number of words categorically related was varied between 3 and 5, and the picture to be named was either related or unrelated to the respective category. To disentangle interacting effects of semantic context we combined different naming paradigms manipulating the number of competitors, and assessing the effect of repeated naming instances. Evaluating processing of the cohort by eye-tracking provided us with a metric of the (implicit) recognition of the semantic cohort. Results replicate the interference effect in that overall naming of pictures categorically related to the distractor set was slower compared to unrelated pictures. However, interference did not increase with increasing number of distractors. Tracking this effect across naming repetitions, we found that interference is prominent at the first naming instance of every picture only, whereby it is stable across distractor conditions, but dissipates across the experiment. Regarding eye-tracking our data show that participants fixated longer on semantically related items, indicating the identification of the lexico-semantic cohort. Our findings confirm the validity of the novel paradigm and indicate that besides interference during first exposure, repeated exposure to the semantic context may facilitate picture naming and counteract lexical interference.

scholarly journals Naming pictures and sounds: Stimulus type affects semantic context effects

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Wöhner ◽  
Andreas Mädebach ◽  
Jörg D. Jescheniak
Keyword(s):  
Picture Naming ◽  
Context Effect ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Semantic Category ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Semantic Context ◽  
Perceptual Processing ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Lexical Processes ◽  
Naming Tasks

Semantic context effects obtained in naming tasks have been most influential in devising and evaluating models of word production. We re-investigated this effect in the frequently used blocked-cyclic naming task in which stimuli are presented repeatedly either sorted by semantic category (homogeneous context) or intermixed (heterogeneous context). Previous blocked-cyclic naming studies have shown slower picture naming responses in the homogeneous context. Our study compared this context effect in two task versions, picture naming and sound naming. Target words were identical across task versions (e.g., participants responded with the word “dog” to either the picture of that animal or to the sound [barking] produced by it). We found semantic interference in the homogeneous context also with sounds and the effect was substantially larger than with pictures (Experiments 1 and 2). This difference is unlikely to result from extended perceptual processing of sounds as compared to pictures (Experiments 3 and 4) or from stronger links between pictures and object names than between sounds and object names (Experiment 5). Overall, our results show that semantic context effects in blocked-cyclic naming generalize to stimulus types other than pictures and – in part – also reflect pre-lexical processes that depend on the nature of the stimuli used for eliciting the naming responses.

Exploring the time course of semantic interference and associative priming in the picture–word interference task

2009 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 789-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Sailor ◽  
Patricia J. Brooks ◽  
Paul R. Bruening ◽  
Liat Seiger-Gardner ◽  
Mark Guterman
Keyword(s):  
Lexical Access ◽  
Interference Effect ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Semantic Context ◽  
Associative Priming ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Interference Task ◽  
Naming Latencies

The picture–word interference (PWI) task is a widely used technique for exploring effects of semantic context on lexical access. In this task, printed words are superimposed over pictures to be named, with the timing of the interfering word relative to the picture systematically manipulated. Two experiments ( N = 24 adults in each) explored the time course of effects of associates (e.g., CARROT superimposed on a picture of a rabbit) versus coordinates (e.g., CHIPMUNK superimposed on a picture of a rabbit) on naming latencies. Associates led to faster picture naming than did unrelated words, with facilitative effects occurring at stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs, in ms) ranging from –450 to 0. Coordinates led to slower naming latencies, with the interference effect restricted to SOAs of –150 and 0. The overlapping time course of associative priming and coordinate interference provides important constraints on models of lexical access in speech production.

scholarly journals Naming pictures and sounds: Stimulus type affects semantic context effects

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Wöhner ◽  
Andreas Mädebach ◽  
Jörg D. Jescheniak
Keyword(s):  
Picture Naming ◽  
Context Effect ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Semantic Category ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Semantic Context ◽  
Perceptual Processing ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Lexical Processes ◽  
Naming Tasks

Semantic context effects obtained in naming tasks have been most influential in devising and evaluating models of word production. We re-investigated this effect in the frequently used blocked-cyclic naming task in which stimuli are presented repeatedly either sorted by semantic category (homogeneous context) or intermixed (heterogeneous context). Previous blocked-cyclic naming studies have shown slower picture naming responses in the homogeneous context. Our study compared this context effect in two task versions, picture naming and sound naming. Target words were identical across task versions (e.g., participants responded with the word “dog” to either the picture of that animal or to the sound [barking] produced by it). We found semantic interference in the homogeneous context also with sounds and the effect was substantially larger than with pictures (Experiments 1 and 2). This difference is unlikely to result from extended perceptual processing of sounds as compared to pictures (Experiments 3 and 4) or from stronger links between pictures and object names than between sounds and object names (Experiment 5). Overall, our results show that semantic context effects in blocked-cyclic naming generalize to stimulus types other than pictures and – in part – also reflect pre-lexical processes that depend on the nature of the stimuli used for eliciting the naming responses.

scholarly journals A novel multi-word paradigm for investigating semantic context effects in language production

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. e0230439
Author(s):  
Cornelia van Scherpenberg ◽  
Rasha Abdel Rahman ◽  
Hellmuth Obrig
Keyword(s):  
Language Production ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Semantic Context

Transforming semantic interference into facilitation in a picture–word interference task

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 1025-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
QINGFANG ZHANG ◽  
CHEN FENG ◽  
XUEBING ZHU ◽  
CHENG WANG
Keyword(s):  
Context Effect ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Semantic Context ◽  
Context Word ◽  
Lexical Selection ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Facilitation Effect ◽  
Interference Task ◽  
Empirical Level ◽  
Basic Level

ABSTRACTA number of studies that observed semantic facilitation in a picture–word interference task questioned the hypothesis that lexical selection during speech production is a competitive process. Semantic facilitation effects are typically observed when context words and target names do not belong to the same semantic category level. In the experiments reported in this article, we used a picture–word interference task with basic-level context words and basic-level naming (i.e., the context word is dog, and the target name is cat) to investigate semantic context effects. We observed a reversal of semantic context effect: context words that induce semantic interference when stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) are –100 and 0 ms and induce semantic facilitation at large negative SOA values (from –1000 to –400 ms, in steps of 200 ms). At the empirical level, our data suggest that manipulating SOA can reverse the polarity of the semantic context effect. Our analysis demonstrates that the conceptual selection model provides the most straightforward way to account for the reported polarity shift and the different SOA ranges covered by the semantic interference effect and the semantic facilitation effect.

Cumulative semantic interference across unrelated responses in school-age children's picture naming

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Monique CHAREST ◽  
Tieghan BAIRD
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Lexical Access ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Linear Increase ◽  
Ordinal Position ◽  
Lexical Representation ◽  
School Age ◽  
Interference Effects ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
School Aged Children

Abstract Naming semantically related images results in progressively slower responses as more images are named. There is considerable documentation in adults of this phenomenon, known as cumulative semantic interference. Few studies have focused on this phenomenon in children. The present research investigated cumulative semantic interference effects in school-aged children. In Study 1, children named a series of contiguous, semantically related pictures. The results revealed no cumulative interference effects. Study 2 utilized an approach more closely aligned with adult methods, incorporating intervening, unrelated items intermixed with semantically related items within a continuous list. Study 2 showed a linear increase in reaction time as a function of ordinal position within semantic sets. These findings demonstrate cumulative semantic interference effects in young, school-aged children that are consistent with experience-driven changes in the connections that underlie lexical access. They invite further investigation of how children's lexical representation and processing are shaped by speaking experiences.

No lexical competition without priming: Evidence from the picture–word interference paradigm

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 2562-2570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna S Gauvin ◽  
Magdalena K Jonen ◽  
Jessica Choi ◽  
Katie McMahon ◽  
Greig I de Zubicaray
Keyword(s):  
Interference Effect ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Interference Effects ◽  
Lexical Competition ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
The Past ◽  
Task Parameters ◽  
Naming Latencies ◽  
And Task

Over the past 40 years, researchers have assumed that semantic interference effects in picture naming reflect competition among lexical candidates during retrieval. In this study, we examined the role of the familiarisation phase in which participants are shown the target pictures and required to rehearse the appropriate names before the picture–word interference (PWI) paradigm is performed. A previous study reported that omitting the familiarisation phase reversed the polarity of the semantic effect to facilitation. In two experiments using between- and within-participants design, respectively, we compared PWI performance with and without familiarisation while using matched stimuli and task parameters. Overall, the results showed the typical semantic interference effect following familiarisation. However, in both experiments, naming latencies did not differ significantly between related and unrelated distractors when familiarisation was omitted. The current findings suggest that familiarisation plays an important role in determining semantic interference in PWI, most likely via raising lexical competitor activation by priming links between targets and related concepts. We also discuss broader implications of our findings with respect to the replicability of reported semantic facilitation effects in PWI.

scholarly journals Semantic context effects on picture naming in aphasia

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Python Gregoire ◽  
Villain Marie ◽  
Gay Anne-Carine ◽  
Laganaro Marina
Keyword(s):  
Picture Naming ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Semantic Context
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