Abstract
This study examined the influence of semantic factors on frequency estimates for English words. Words varying in either evaluation, activity, or potency appeared on a sheet of paper 0, 1, 4, or 8 times. Subjects estimated how many times they had seen each individual word and then estimated the total number of times they had seen words which were high, medium, or low on the relevant semantic dimensions. Results showed that: (1) Individual word estimates are significantly higher for words that are positive (word frequency of 8 only); (2) Individual word estimates are significantly higher for words that are active and soft; (3) Total word estimates are significantly higher for words that are active.
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References
Jenkins, J. J., Russell, W. A., & Suci, G. J. An atlas of semantic proviles for 360 words. American Journal of Psychology, 1958, 71, 688–699.
Kucera, H., & Francis, W. N. Computational analysis of present-day American English. Providence, R. I.: Brown University Press, 1967.
Matlin, M. W., & Stang, D. J. Some determinants of word frequency estimates. Personality & Motor Skills (in press).
Reference Notes
D. J. Stang, Influence of frequency and affect on exposure frequency estimates. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May, 1974.
M. W. Matlin and D. J. Stang. The Pollyanna Principle. (In preparation).
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Matlin, M.W., Stone, M.R. The effects of evaluation, activity, and potency on frequency estimates. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 5, 391–392 (1975). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03333281
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03333281