Research participants are asked to judge whether or not a string of letters forms a word in English. They are first given the string CABBAGE. According to research on spreading activation, which of the subsequent strings will take the least time to be judged to be a real word?
A) CRIBBAGE
B) CARROT
C) TOILET
D) CABOOSE

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to spreading activation theory, words that are semantically related or share similar features are more quickly recognized. "CARROT" is semantically related to "CABBAGE" as both are vegetables, so it will be recognized faster.

Research Participants Are Asked to Judge Whether or Not a String