Javier S. Sainz

Efectos de anticipación y de stroop en tareas de denominación y categorización de dibujos y de palabras

ResumenSe llevo a cabo un experimento con vistas a estudiar el procesamiento de dibujos y de palabras en el marco de los paradigmas de Stroop y de anticipacion. Las variables de tarea, modalidad y de relacion semantica fueron equivalentes en ambos paradigmas. Segun el intervalo temporal entre los estimulos se establecieron tres condiciones experimentales: condicion previa—anticipacion—, condicion simultanea—Stroop—, y condicion previa y simultanea—Stroop y anticipacion—. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto la existencia de efectos de facilitacion e interferencia de signo opuesto que se atribuyen a la interaccion entre la secuencia temporal entre los estimulos componentes, las demandas de las respectivas tareas y la modalidad en la memoria activa. Los resultados se discuten en relacion con el diferente procesamiento a que se someten los dibujos y las palabras y la naturaleza del formato de representacion.

The Effect of Family Size on Spanish Simple and Complex Words

This study presents the results of three experiments in which the Family Size (FS) effect is explored. The first experiment is carried out with no prime on simple words. The second and third experiments are carried out with morphological priming on complex words. In the first experiment a facilitatory effect of FS is observed: high FS targets produced faster responses than low FS targets. However, an inhibitory effect of Stem-FS is observed in the second experiment: low Stem-FS targets produced faster responses than high Stem-FS targets. In the third experiment a facilitatory effect is observed when the Affix-FS is manipulated: high Affix-FS targets produced faster responses than low Affix-FS targets. Overall data confirms that the effect of FS plays an important role in lexical access in Spanish. The results also show that the effect of FS is modulated by the lexical nature of the prime (lexical or sublexical) and by the number of candidates activated. Finally, it is suggested that the nonwords employed were decisive in obtaining the results mentioned.

The suffix priming effect: Further evidence for an early morpho-orthographic segmentation process independent of its semantic content

This work presents the results of a masked lexical decision experiment in which we explore the morphological parsing of Spanish suffixed or pseudosuffixed words through the suffix priming effect. Priming the bases or pseudobases with their suffixed or pseudosuffixed forms is the standard process in experiments aimed at understanding the processes underlying morphological parsing in visual word recognition with masked priming lexical decision (e.g., darkness–DARK; corner–CORN). We, however, compare the effect of suffix priming on the lexical decision of suffixed (ero–JORNALERO) and pseudosuffixed words (ero–CORDERO), as well as the effect of orthographic priming on nonsuffixed words (eba–PRUEBA). The results show that in the case of suffixed and pseudosuffixed words, related primes (ero–JORNALERO; ero–CORDERO) significantly accelerated response latencies in comparison to unrelated primes (ista–JORNALERO; ura–CORDERO), while for simple words there was no facilitation from the orthographically related prime in comparison to the unrelated prime (eba–PRUEBA; afo–PRUEBA). These results are consistent with the so-called morpho-orthographic segmentation process in the course of visual word recognition, which might also be independent of orthographic and purely semantic factors. Our results also support the view that morphological parsing takes place regardless of whether a stem is present in a word. These results complement findings from studies dealing with CORNER- and BROTHEL-like stimuli.

STROOP AND PRIMING EFFECTS IN NAMING AND CATEGORIZING TASKS USING WORDS AND PICTURES

An experiment was conducted in order to study word and picture processing within the framework of the Stroop and Priming paradigms. Tasks, modalities and semantic relationships were equated for both paradigms. Three experimental conditions were constructed on the basis of the temporal interstimuli interval: previous (Priming), simultaneous (Stroop), previous and simultaneous (Stroop & Priming). Results showed several facilitation and interference reversed effects which are attributed to the interaction between temporal interstimuli sequence, task demands and modality in working memory. Results are discussed in relation to the differential processing of words and pictures and the nature of the representation format.

Priming effects in the recognition of simple and complex words and pseudowords

Abstract Whether morphological processing of complex words occurs beyond orthographic processing is a matter of intense debate. In this study, morphological processing is examined by presenting complex words (brujería -> brujo –witchcraft -> witch), as well as simple (brujaña->brujo) and complex pseudowords (brujanza ->brujo), as primes in three masked lexical decision tasks. In the first experiment, the three experimental conditions facilitated word recognition in comparison to the control condition, but no differences emerged between them. Given the importance of the surface frequency effect observed, a second experiment was conducted. The results fully replicate those observed in the first one, but this time with low frequency targets. In the third experiment, vowels were removed from the stems of primes to reduce the orthographic overlap between primes and targets and, therefore, the influence of the embedded stem effect. The results show facilitative effects only for complex words. However, paired comparisons show no differences between experimental conditions. The overall results show the central role played by the processing of stems in visual word recognition and are explained in terms of current models of morphological processing.

El análisis de las estrategias en el proceso de toma de decisiones

Numerous researches have recently, demonstrated that the hypothesis arguing that human decision process is seriously biased is not supported by convincing data. It has been argued that the Tversky & Kahenmans demostrations of judgmental fallibility should not be taken as having perjorative implications for the rationality of human reasoning. From a behavioral perspective, it is possible to describe seemingly no-rational judgments which nevertheless are regular and systematic. In this article, three kinds of systematic behavioral regularities are discussed. These regularities affect to: a) the information processing of stimulus context; b) the previous knowledge base and the algorithms evaluating and combining thid information width the incoming information; and c) the demanded response mode. The most salient findings are briefly discussed.

Heurísticos en la representación del conocimiento: Estrategias de clasificación de categorías difusas y bien definidas

The hypothesis that establishes that the system adjusts its descriptions to a linear transfor- rnation of the properties that result from the perceptual analysis has not been justified. These is evidence about the formation of categories or concepts even when these cate gories do not fit with a monotonic model of representation. Two experiments analyzed the strategies that allow for the description of a domazn of knowledge in terms of a binary system of difuses or well defined categories. We can infer, from subjects descriptions, the formation of a non-monotonic system of rules of inference that allow for the distribution of stimuli in complementary classes according to their contribution to the decission-making process. As opposed to the current mo- del of categorization, it is propoled that the non-linear distribution of the stimuli in terms of the response alternatives is determinant of the categorization process.

Efectos de facilitación e interferencia en el procesamiento de información

ResumenEn un analisis de la representacion debe distinguirse entre el conocimiento registrado a nivel de la memoria semantica y su uso y manipulacion a nivel de la memoria activa, la diferenciacion funcional de estos niveles es posible si se especifican los sistemas y mecanismos que intervienen en el procesamiento de informacion. Los efectos de facilitacion e interferencia comunmente hallados en los paradigmas experimentales de anticipacion y Stroop permiten describir algunos de los sistemas y mecanismos que subyacen a las imagenes mentales y a las palabras como distintos tipos de representacion simbolica. Frente a una teoria interpretativa, una teoria constructiva explica las propiedades emergentes de las imagenes mentales como el resultado de la actualizacion de su referencia en un determinado contexto. Distinguiendo entre conocimiento registrado y uso del conocimiento es posible rechazar la perspectiva de Pylyshyn en el analisis de las imagenes mentales. En este articulo, a modo de introduccion, presen...