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Picture-word interference increases with target-set size

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Abstract

In the picture-word interference task the naming of a picture is hampered by the presence of a distractor word that is to be ignored. Two main components of this interference effect can be distinguished: an interference effect induced by an unrelated distractor word in comparison with a nonword control, and an additional interference effect that is due to a semantic similarity between target and distractor (calledsemantic interference). We examine whether the size of these two interference effects is affected by the number of different target pictures in an experiment. The results show that both interference effects increase with the size of the target set. This finding has two implications. First, at an empirical level, the use of a relatively small number of target pictures may account for remarkably small, or even nonsignificant, picture-word interference effects in a number of previous studies. Second, at a theoretical level, the present finding is in accordance with a name-retrieval account of picture-word interference.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Experimental and Theoretical Psychology, University of Leiden, Wassenaarsweg 52, NL-2333, AK Leiden, The Netherlands

    Wido La Heij

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Edwin van den Hof

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  1. Wido La Heij
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  2. Edwin van den Hof
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Correspondence to Wido La Heij.

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La Heij, W., van den Hof, E. Picture-word interference increases with target-set size. Psychol. Res 58, 119–133 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00571100

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00571100

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