E-Thesis 494 views
Using Word Association to Understand the Mental Lexicon: The Challenge of Coding / CAROLINE HANDLEY
Swansea University Author: CAROLINE HANDLEY
DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.64666
Abstract
Word association tasks have been widely used within applied linguistics and psychology to understand connections between words in the mental lexicon. Many studies have attempted to understand the types of associations people form by coding responses, although results have been inconsistent. The domi...
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Swansea, Wales, UK
2023
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| Institution: | Swansea University |
| Degree level: | Doctoral |
| Degree name: | Ph.D |
| Supervisor: | Fitzpatrick, Tess and Rogers, Vivienne |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64666 |
| Abstract: |
Word association tasks have been widely used within applied linguistics and psychology to understand connections between words in the mental lexicon. Many studies have attempted to understand the types of associations people form by coding responses, although results have been inconsistent. The dominant system contrasts paradigmatic and syntagmatic associates, responses that could replace or co-occur with the cue word in a sentence, respectively. In this thesis an alternative classification informed by dual coding theories of word knowledge was tested and then both systems were compared. The new system, based on Santos et al. (2011), posits that word associates are produced via either linguistic (symbolic) processing or conceptual processing grounded in sensorimotor experience of their referents. After a replication of their study, two experiments were conducted using new cue words and eliciting three responses to each cue. Results suggested that word association tasks activate conceptual processing to a greater extent than linguistic processing, contrary to expectations. This supports other research suggesting isolated words and sentences may elicit differential processing. Questions were also raised regarding the nature of conceptual knowledge. Analysis of multiple responses revealed that linguistic associates tended not to be produced after conceptual ones, a trend that was not found when associates were coded as paradigmatic or syntagmatic. In addition, the type of associate produced as the first response influenced that of subsequent ones. Finally, three coding systems were compared on multiple word associations produced by L2 English speakers. The largest difference found between L1 and L2 speakers was the number of linguistic associates produced. Linguistic associates also showed a stronger correlation with a vocabulary knowledge test than paradigmatic ones. Despite coding challenges encountered, the findings suggest that a linguistic-conceptual coding system could constitute a psychologically valid system for coding word association data, providing new insights into the mental lexicon. |
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| Keywords: |
Word association, mental lexicon, embodied cognition, LASS theory |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |