ABSTRACT

In four experiments, we contrasted effects of associative and semantic relations in a picture-word interference paradigm. Distractors and picture names were associatively associated (yellow - banana), or belonged to the same semantic category, (plum - banana). The onsets of distractor and picture were systematically varied using four different stimulus onset asynchronies (SOA −300 ms, −150 ms, −20 ms, +150ms). Associated distractors facilitated picture naming, while semantic distractors had an inhibitory effect. Moreover, a different time course was observed: Semantic distractors influenced picture naming over a longer negative SOA range than associative distractors. No effects for both were present at a SOA of +150 ms. Thus, associative and semantic effects are clearly different in picture-word interference. The way in which associative and semantic distractors are linked with the picture's concept and lexical entry is responsible for the different direction and time course of effects. We propose how a current model of word production can handle these data.