Language and Arithmetic: A Failure to Find Cross Cognitive Domain Semantic Priming Between Exception Phrases and Subtraction or Addition

Frontiers in Psychology

Golnoush Ronasi¹ 

关键词: cross-domain priming;    language;    arithmetic;    information integration;    cognitive module;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01524

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

We examined cross-domain semantic priming effects between arithmetic and language. We paired subtractions with their linguistic equivalent, exception phrases (EPs) with positive quantifiers (e.g., “everybody except John”) while pairing additions with their own linguistic equivalent, EPs with negative quantifiers (e.g., “nobody except John”; Moltmann, 1995). We hypothesized that EPs with positive quantifiers prime subtractions and inhibit additions while EPs with negative quantifiers prime additions and inhibit subtractions. Furthermore, we expected similar priming and inhibition effects from arithmetic into semantics. Our design allowed for a bidirectional analysis by using one trial's target as the prime for the next trial. Two experiments failed to show significant priming effects in either direction. Implications and possible shortcomings are explored in the general discussion.

【 授权许可】

CC BY