In a study, participants listened to the following tape recording:
Rumor had it that, for years, the government building had been plagued with problems. The man was not surprised when he found several spiders, roaches, and other bugs in the corner of the room.
As participants heard the word "bugs," they completed a lexical decision task to a test stimulus flashed on a screen. To which of the following words would you expect participants to take the longest to respond to?
A) ANT
B) SPY
C) SKY
D) ROACH

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The word "bugs" in the context of the tape recording primarily relates to insects, which means participants would likely quickly associate "ANT" and "ROACH" with "bugs" due to their semantic similarity. "SPY" might also be quickly associated due to the alternate meaning of "bugs" as surveillance devices. "SKY," however, does not have a direct semantic or thematic connection to "bugs," making it the word to which participants would take the longest to respond.

In a Study, Participants Listened to the Following Tape Recording