Componential reasoning in kinship

Presents 2 models (verification and disconfirmation) to account for processing of complex true or false kinship statements. Two experiments (37 university students) support the disconfirmation model, which states that only those features of kin terms will be processed that are required to verify or...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental psychology. General 1980-12, Vol.109 (4), p.393-421
Main Authors: C_7ech, Claude G, Shoben, Edward J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cognitive Processes
Human
Response Latency
Task Complexity
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Summary:Presents 2 models (verification and disconfirmation) to account for processing of complex true or false kinship statements. Two experiments (37 university students) support the disconfirmation model, which states that only those features of kin terms will be processed that are required to verify or disconfirm a statement. However, certain complex statements were affirmed more rapidly than predicted by any simple featural complexity model relying on linear combination of features. Results suggest consideration of a term sequence model having a 2-term phrase that Ss would attempt to analyze. Two types of processing occur: (1) Familiar phrases are perceived rapidly and are reduced to single terms, showing little or no effects of semantic complexity. (2) Unfamiliar phrases have to be expanded to simpler and more familiar terms and sequences to be comprehended. The model suggests that the locus of formal semantic complexity effects may reside in the process of breaking down an unfamiliar segment into its familiar components. This model is supported by the results of a 3rd experiment (30 Ss) and is shown to account for certain anomalies in the results of the 1st 2 experiments. (29 ref)
ISSN:0096-3445
1939-2222
DOI:10.1037/0096-3445.109.4.393