Biomedical subjects

Wendy De Moor

Publications and source records attributed to Wendy De Moor.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

When are neighbours hostile? Inhibitory neighbour effects in visual word recognition.

Using masked priming, Segui and Grainger (1990) reported inhibitory effects of higher frequency neighbours on lower frequency targets (e.g., avec - AVEU), but not of lower frequency neighbours on higher frequency targets (e.g., aveu - AVEC). Conversely, with unmasked (conscious) priming, they observed inhibition for word pairs of the type "aveu - AVEC", but not for word pairs of the type "avec - AVEU". Both inhibitory effects were explained in terms of the frequency difference between the prime and the target. We argue that the observed inhibitory effects may emerge from the absolute frequency of the prime or the target, rather than their relative frequency. To test this, we investigated inhibitory effects between neighbour words of the same frequency under both masked and unmasked priming conditions. The results showed inhibition for same-frequency neighbours in case the prime and the target were high-frequency words, but not in case the prime and the target were low-frequency words. The theoretical implications of the findings are discussed within the context of interactive activation based models (e.g., Grainger & Jacobs, 1996; McClelland & Rumelhart, 1981).

Affect↗

PubMed2005

Two-digit comparison: decomposed, holistic, or hybrid?

We investigate whether two-digit numbers are decomposed for purposes of numerical comparison (e.g., choosing the larger one). Earlier theorists concluded that numbers are processed holistically (Brysbaert, 1995; Dehaene, Dupoux, & Mehler, 1990), or that holistic and decomposed processes operate in parallel (Nuerk, Weger, & Willmes, 2001). In the present experiment, we presented pairs of two-digit numbers with a decade distance of either zero (e.g., 54-57) or one (54-61). If a holistic process contributes to two-digit comparison, there should be an overall distance effect for number pairs with a decade distance of one. On the other hand, if numbers are decomposed and a holistic comparison does not contribute, this overall distance effect should be absent for these number pairs. Evidence is found that, at least in the present task settings, numbers are not compared holistically. The results are interpreted in terms of a recently proposed theory of numerical cognition (Verguts & Fias, 2004; Verguts, Fias, & Stevens, in press).

Association Learning↗

PubMed2005

Testing the multiple in the multiple read-out model of visual word recognition.

This study provided a test of the multiple criteria concept used for lexical decision, as implemented in J. Grainger and A. M. Jacobs's (1996) multiple read-out model. This account predicts more inhibition (or less facilitation) from a masked neighbor when accuracy is stressed more but more facilitation (or less inhibition) when the speed of responding is emphasized more. The authors tested these predictions by stressing accuracy (Experiment 1) and response speed (Experiment 2). The results of Experiment 1 showed a stronger neighbor-inhibition effect in the stress-on-accuracy condition than in the control condition. The results of Experiment 2 showed facilitation because of the neighbor prime in the stress-on-speed condition relative to the control condition. These results corroborate the multiple criteria account.

Humans↗