Swinney did an experiment in which he presented participants with the sentence, "The man was not surprised to find several spiders, roaches, and other bugs in the corner of the room." He found that immediately after hearing the word "bug," the participants accessed
A) only the "insect" meaning of the word.
B) both the "insect" and the "hidden listening device" meanings of the word.
C) only the "hidden listening device" meaning of the word.
D) neither the "insect" nor the "hidden listening device" meanings of the word.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Swinney's experiment demonstrated that upon hearing an ambiguous word like "bug," participants initially accessed multiple meanings, including both "insect" and "hidden listening device," before context helped determine the appropriate meaning.

Swinney Did an Experiment in Which He Presented Participants with the Sentence