You are running a study similar to Duffy et al.'s 1988 experiment. You will present participants with the following sentence: The advisory _______ met once per week. The blank will be filled with either cabinet or group. Which word will take participants longer to read, and why?
A) Group, because it is a more commonly used word than cabinet in the English language
B) Cabinet, because it is the more often used and dominant term for a collection of people
C) Group, because it is an unambiguous word for a collection of people
D) Cabinet, because it is the less frequently used and subordinate term for a collection of people

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Duffy et al. found that subordinate words take longer to read than dominant words. "Cabinet" is a less frequently used and subordinate term for a collection of people, whereas "group" is a more commonly used and less subordinate term, making "cabinet" the word that would take longer to read.

You Are Running a Study Similar to Duffy Et Al