Alissa Melinger

Semantic context effects in language production: A swinging lexical network proposal and a review

The investigation of semantic context effects has served as a valuable tool in investigating mechanisms of language production. Classic semantic interference effects have provided influential support for and interest in a competitive lexical selection mechanism. However, recent interest in semantic facilitation effects has stimulated a discussion on whether context effects reflect competition during lexical selection. In this review we propose a framework of lexical selection by competition that is sensitive to the activation of lexical cohorts. We outline our proposal and then present a selective review of the empirical evidence, much of which has been central to the development of alternative non-competitive models. We suggest that by adopting the assumptions of our proposal we can parsimoniously account for a majority of the discussed semantic facilitation and interference effects.

When Bees Hamper the Production of Honey: Lexical Interference from Associates in Speech Production.

In this article, the authors explore semantic context effects in speaking. In particular, the authors investigate a marked discrepancy between categorically and associatively induced effects; only categorical relationships have been reported to cause interference in object naming. In Experiments 1 and 2, a variant of the semantic blocking paradigm was used to induce two different types of semantic context effects. Pictures were either named in the context of categorically related objects (e.g., animals: bee, cow, fish) or in the context of associatively related objects from different semantic categories (e.g., apiary: bee, honey, bee keeper). Semantic interference effects were observed in both conditions, relative to an unrelated context. Experiment 3 replicated the classic effects of categorical interference and associative facilitation in a picture-word interference paradigm with the material used in Experiment 2. These findings suggest that associates are active lexical competitors and that the microstructure of lexicalization is highly flexible and adjustable to the semantic context in which the utterance takes place.

Semantic context effects in language production

The investigation of semantic context effects has served as a valuable tool in investigating mechanisms of language production. Classic semantic interference effects have provided influential support for and interest in a competitive lexical selection mechanism. However, recent interest in semantic facilitation effects has stimulated a discussion on whether context effects reflect competition during lexical selection. In this review we propose a framework of lexical selection by competition that is sensitive to the activation of lexical cohorts. We outline our proposal and then present a selective review of the empirical evidence, much of which has been central to the development of alternative non-competitive models. We suggest that by adopting the assumptions of our proposal we can parsimoniously account for a majority of the discussed semantic facilitation and interference effects.

Electrophysiological chronometry of semantic context effects in language production

In this study, we investigated semantic context effects in language production with event-related brain potentials, extracted from the ongoing EEG recorded during overt speech production. We combined the picture–word interference paradigm and the semantic blocking paradigm to investigate the temporal dynamics and functional loci of semantic facilitation and interference effects. Objects were named in the context of semantically homogeneous blocks consisting of related objects and heterogeneous blocks consisting of unrelated objects. In each blocking condition, semantically related and unrelated distractor words were presented. Results show that classic patterns of semantically induced facilitation and interference effects in RTs can be directly related to ERP modulations located at temporal and frontal sites, starting at about 200 msec. Results also suggest that the processes associated with semantic facilitation and interference effects (i.e., conceptual and lexical processing) are highly interactive and coincide in time. Implications for the use of event-related brain potentials in speech production research and implications for current models of speech production are discussed.

Conceptualisation load triggers gesture production

In the present study we used a picture description task to investigate one contributing factor to gesture rate variation within speakers, namely conceptualisation load. Specifically we investigated whether speakers produce more gestures when the load on conceptualisation processes is higher. We manipulated conceptualisation load, without substantially changing speech formulation, either by modulating the complexity of the to-be-described pictures (Experiment 1) or by introducing a secondary task that uses the same or different resources as the primary description task (Experiment 2). In both studies, we find evidence that speakers produce more gestures at moments of relatively high conceptual load. The results indicate that the linearisation and the focusing components of conceptualisation are tied to gesture production and that increased load on these components results in increased gesture production.

When Bees Hamper the Production of Honey

In this article, the authors explore semantic context effects in speaking. In particular, the authors investigate a marked discrepancy between categorically and associatively induced effects; only categorical relationships have been reported to cause interference in object naming. In Experiments 1 and 2, a variant of the semantic blocking paradigm was used to induce two different types of semantic context effects. Pictures were either named in the context of categorically related objects (e.g., animals: bee, cow, fish) or in the context of associatively related objects from different semantic categories (e.g., apiary: bee, honey, bee keeper). Semantic interference effects were observed in both conditions, relative to an unrelated context. Experiment 3 replicated the classic effects of categorical interference and associative facilitation in a picture-word interference paradigm with the material used in Experiment 2. These findings suggest that associates are active lexical competitors and that the microstructure of lexicalization is highly flexible and adjustable to the semantic context in which the utterance takes place.

The Dynamic Microstructure of Speech Production: Semantic Interference Built on the Fly

We present 4 experiments investigating dynamic and flexible aspects of semantic activation spread during speech planning. In a semantic blocking paradigm, pictures of objects were presented in categorically homogeneous blocks consisting of semantic category members (e.g., foods), in blocks consisting of seemingly unrelated objects that could potentially be integrated into a common theme (e.g., fishing trip), or in heterogeneous blocks consisting of entirely unrelated objects. In Experiment 1 we observed a classic semantic interference effect for the categorically homogeneous condition but no effect for the thematically homogeneous condition. In Experiment 2 the blocks were preceded once by visually presented title words. When titles were presented that referred to the semantic category or theme of the block, interference was observed not only in the categorically homogeneous condition but also in the thematically homogeneous condition. The ad hoc semantic interference effects for thematic relations were replicated with a different set of materials in Experiments 3 and 4. These observations reveal the dynamic nature of the speech production system, shaped by context and formations of flexible ad hoc categories and semantic relations.

Dismissing lexical competition does not make speaking any easier: A rejoinder to Mahon and Caramazza (2009)

The swinging lexical network proposal (Abdel Rahman & Melinger, 2009a this issue) incorporates three assumptions that are independently motivated and pre-existing in the literature. We claim that the combination of these three assumptions provides an account for a wide range of facilitation and interference observations. In their comment, Mahon and Caramazza question the success of our proposal by challenging the individual assumptions at its core. However, most of their criticisms are built on misconstruals of our proposal. Here, we revisit their points and clarify our position with regard to their specific concerns. We maintain that competition models do not necessitate an over-complication of lexical selection but rather provide an elegant and consistent mechanism to capture many empirical observations.

Dismissing lexical competition does not make speaking any easier

The swinging lexical network proposal (Abdel Rahman & Melinger, 2009a this issue) incorporates three assumptions that are independently motivated and pre-existing in the literature. We claim that the combination of these three assumptions provides an account for a wide range of facilitation and interference observations. In their comment, Mahon and Caramazza question the success of our proposal by challenging the individual assumptions at its core. However, most of their criticisms are built on misconstruals of our proposal. Here, we revisit their points and clarify our position with regard to their specific concerns. We maintain that competition models do not necessitate an over-complication of lexical selection but rather provide an elegant and consistent mechanism to capture many empirical observations.

Enhanced phonological facilitation and traces of concurrent word form activation in speech production : An object-naming study with multiple distractors

In the present study, we extended the classic picture–word interference paradigm by the presentation of multiple distractor words (Experiment 1) to reexamine whether the word forms of semantic alternatives receive activation in the course of object naming. Experiment 2 showed that phonological facilitation can be magnified by the presentation of multiple words that share overlapping initial and final segments with the target name. Experiments 3 and 4 tested for traces of nontarget phonological activation with multiple distractors, which enhances the chances of detecting such effects. These experiments revealed a consistent pattern of interference effects induced by words that were related to a semantic category member, consistent with theories assuming phonological activation of nontarget alternatives.