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- Title
Factors responsible for performance on the day–night task: response set or semantics?
- Authors
Simpson, Andrew; Riggs, Kevin J.
- Abstract
In a recent study Diamond, Kirkham and Amso (2002) obtained evidence consistent with the claim that the day–night task requires inhibition because the picture and its corresponding conflicting response are semantically related. In their study children responded more accurately in a dog–pig condition (see /day picture/ say ‘dog’; see /night picture/ say ‘pig’) than the standard day–night condition (see /day picture/ say ‘night’; see /night picture/ say ‘day’). However, there is another effect that may have made the day–night condition harder than the dog–pig condition: the response set effect. In the day–night condition the names of the two stimuli (‘day’ and ‘night’) and the two corresponding conflicting responses (‘night’ and ‘day’) are from the same response set: both ‘day’ and ‘night’. In the dog–pig condition the names of the stimuli (‘day’, ‘night’) and the corresponding responses (‘dog’, ‘pig’) are from a different response set. In two experiments (Experiment 1 with 4-year-olds (n = 25); Experiment 2 with , 4-, 5-, 7- and 11-year-olds (n = 81)) children were tested on four experimental conditions that enabled the effects of semantics and response set to be separated. Overall, our data suggest that response set is a major factor in creating the inhibitory demands of the day–night task in children of all ages. Results are discussed in relation to other inhibitory tasks.
- Subjects
PERFORMANCE; SEMANTICS; INFORMATION theory; SET (Psychology); RESPONSE set; HABIT
- Publication
Developmental Science, 2005, Vol 8, Issue 4, p360
- ISSN
1363-755X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1467-7687.2005.00424.x