Type
Text
Type
Dissertation
Advisor
Samuel, Arthur G | Brennan, Susan | Freitas, Antonio | Huffman, Marie.
Date
2015-12-01
Keywords
Cognitive psychology | cognitive load, cognitive resources, phonological processing, semantic processing, spoken word recognition
Department
Department of Experimental Psychology.
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/77603
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
Current models of spoken word recognition suggest that multiple lexical candidates are activated in parallel upon hearing an utterance, with these lexical hypotheses competing with each other for recognition. This dissertation includes a set of priming experiments that investigate the effect of cognitive load on multiple lexical activation and competition. The lexicality of the primes (i.e. | Non-Word vs. Word) and the demands of two primary tasks (i.e. | Rhyme vs. Association) were manipulated. In six experiments, I tested performance on the two primary tasks under conditions with no additional cognitive load, or with secondary tasks that either imposed phonological load or non-phonological load. The results under the No-Load condition demonstrated that each primary task tapped a different level of processing during speech perception. Specifically, with non-word primes, the Rhyme task reflects the bottom-up activation of sub-lexical representations, whereas with such non-word primes, the Association task reflects the initial access to lexical nodes, which in turn leads to the activation of semantic representations. With word primes, the Rhyme and Association tasks reflect the activation of lexical nodes as a result of bottom-up activation and lexical competition. The results under the Cognitive Load conditions suggest that the initial access of lexical items is relatively automatic, while lexical competition is more resource demanding. More specifically, lexical competition requires cognitive resources that are specific to phonological processing. Accomplishing unnatural tasks, such as using sub-lexical information in a rhyme task, also requires cognitive capacity. In this case, the required resources are not necessarily phonological. The overall result pattern across experiments and tasks provides insights into how different types of cognitive load constrain lexical activation and competition at different levels of processing. Future studies and theoretical models of spoken word recognition should consider both the flexibility and the processing limits of the speech system in order to have a comprehensive understanding of how speech is processed. | 88 pages
Recommended Citation
ZHANG, XUJIN, "The Effect of Cognitive Load on Lexical Activation and Competition" (2015). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 3402.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/3402