Diane Pecher
Erasmus University Rotterdam, Psychology, Faculty Member
Age stereotyping at the workplace can lead to discrimination. We investigated stereotype influence on recall. In the who-said-what paradigm participants studied older and younger speakers making stereotypical and counterstereotypical... more
Age stereotyping at the workplace can lead to discrimination. We investigated stereotype influence on recall. In the who-said-what paradigm participants studied older and younger speakers making stereotypical and counterstereotypical statements about their work, followed by memory tests for the statements and speakers. Statements were more likely attributed to a speaker from the same age category than the other age category, replicating earlier findings. Stereotypicality had no effect on statement recognition but participants were more likely to guess a stereotypical speaker even though speakers made equal numbers of stereotypical and counterstereotypical statements (Experiments 1 and 3). When speakers made more counterstereotypical statements (Experiment 2) this bias was reduced but less so than the actual proportion of stereotypical statements warranted. Speaker judgments were also influenced by prior stereotypes. We conclude that participants used prior stereotypes to supplement recall from memory. Measures to reduce stereotypes should include procedures to improve memory accuracy.
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Studies have found a multisensory memory benefit: higher recognition accuracy for unimodal test items that were studied as bimodal items than for those studied as unimodal items. This is a surprising finding because the encoding... more
Studies have found a multisensory memory benefit: higher recognition accuracy for unimodal test items that were studied as bimodal items than for those studied as unimodal items. This is a surprising finding because the encoding specificity principle predicts that memory performance should be better with greater overlap between processing during study and test. We used Thelen et al.’s (2015) method who previously found a multisensory memory benefit. Items were presented as unimodal (picture or sound) or bimodal (picture and sound) items in a continuous recognition task in which only one modality was task-relevant. In four experiments we obtained little evidence for a difference in memory performance between items studied as unimodal or bimodal stimuli, but there was a benefit of study-test overlap in format if sound was the task-relevant modality. Task-induced attention for the irrelevant modality or response bias may have played a role in previous studies. We conclude that the multisensory memory benefit may not be a general finding, but rather one that is found only under conditions that induce participants to pay attention to the task-irrelevant modality.
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Mere exposure (i.e., stimulus repetition) and blending (i.e., stimulus averaging) are classic ways to increase social preferences, including facial attractiveness. In both effects, increases in preference involve enhanced familiarity.... more
Mere exposure (i.e., stimulus repetition) and blending (i.e., stimulus averaging) are classic ways to increase social preferences, including facial attractiveness. In both effects, increases in preference involve enhanced familiarity. Prominent memory theories assume that familiarity depends on a match between the target and similar items in memory. These theories predict that when individual items are weakly learned, their blends (morphs) should be relatively familiar, and thus liked—a beauty-in-averageness effect (BiA). However, when individual items are strongly learned, they are also more distinguishable. This " differentiation " hypothesis predicts that with strongly encoded items, familiarity (and thus, preference) for the blend will be relatively lower than individual items—an ugliness-in-averageness effect (UiA). We tested this novel theoretical prediction in 5 experiments. Experiment 1 showed that with weak learning, facial morphs were more attractive than contributing individuals (BiA effect). Experiments 2A and 2B demonstrated that when participants first strongly learned a subset of individual faces (either in a face-name memory task or perceptual-tracking task), morphs of trained individuals were less attractive than the trained individuals (UiA effect). Experiment 3 showed that changes in familiarity for the trained morph (rather than interstimulus conflict) drove the UiA effect. Using a within-subjects design, Experiment 4 mapped out the transition from BiA to UiA solely as a function of memory training. Finally, computational modeling using a well-known memory framework (REM) illustrated the familiarity transition observed in Experiment 4. Overall, these results highlight how memory processes illuminate classic and modern social preference phenomena.
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Many argue that there is a reproducibility crisis in psychology. We investigated nine well-known effects from the cognitive psychology literature—three each from the domains of perception/action, memory, and language, respectively—and... more
Many argue that there is a reproducibility crisis in psychology. We investigated nine well-known effects from the cognitive psychology literature—three each from the domains of perception/action, memory, and language, respectively—and found that they are highly reproducible. Not only can they be reproduced in online environments, but they also can be reproduced with nonnaïve participants with no reduction of effect size. Apparently, some cognitive tasks are so constraining that they encapsulate behavior from external influences, such as testing situation and prior recent experience with the experiment to yield highly robust effects.
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This is a commentary on Kemmerer (2016), Categories of object concepts across languages and brains: The relevance of nominal classification systems to Cognitive Neuroscience. The consequences of nominal classification systems for the... more
This is a commentary on Kemmerer (2016), Categories of object concepts across languages and brains: The relevance of nominal classification systems to Cognitive Neuroscience. The consequences of nominal classification systems for the organization of the conceptual system are consistent with several theories and findings in cognitive psychology. Concepts are flexible; they are categorized in various ways and change across contexts. Languages with nominal classification systems provide an interesting source of data that can give further insight into the mechanisms of flexible concepts.
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Responses to objects with a graspable handle are faster when the response hand and handle orientation are aligned (e.g., a key press with the right hand is required and the object handle is oriented to the right) than when they are not... more
Responses to objects with a graspable handle are faster when the response hand and handle orientation are aligned (e.g., a key press with the right hand is required and the object handle is oriented to the right) than when they are not aligned. This effect could be explained by automatic activation of specific motor programs when an object is viewed. Alternatively, the effect could be explained by competition at the response level. Participants performed a reach-and-grasp or reach-and-button-press action with their left or right hand in response to the color of a beer mug. The alignment effect did not vary as a function of the type of action. In addition, the alignment effect disappeared in a go/no-go version of the task. The same results were obtained when participants made upright/inverted decisions, so that object shape was task-relevant. Our results indicate that alignment effects are not due to automatic motor activation of the left or right limb.
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Previous research suggested that consumers' intentions to purchase products are increased when the product's depiction affords an action with the dominant hand than with the non-dominant hand. In eight experiments the authors obtained no... more
Previous research suggested that consumers' intentions to purchase products are increased when the product's depiction affords an action with the dominant hand than with the non-dominant hand. In eight experiments the authors obtained no evidence that consumers have higher intentions to buy products that are shown oriented towards their dominant hand than towards their non-dominant hand. The absence of a dominant hand advantage questions the role of action simulations in consumers' evaluations of visually depicted products.
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In 2 experiments we investigated the efficacy of self-paced study in multitrial learning. In Experiment 1, native speakers of English studied lists of Dutch–English word pairs under 1 of 4 imposed fixed presentation rate conditions (24 1... more
In 2 experiments we investigated the efficacy of self-paced study in multitrial learning. In Experiment 1, native speakers of English studied lists of Dutch–English word pairs under 1 of 4 imposed fixed presentation rate conditions (24 1 s, 12 2 s, 6 4 s, or 3 8 s) and a self-paced study condition. Total study time per list was equated for all conditions. We found that self-paced study resulted in better recall performance than did most of the fixed presentation rates, with the exception of the 12 2 s condition, which did not differ from the self-paced condition. Additional correlational analyses suggested that the allocation of more study time to difficult pairs than to easy pairs might be a beneficial strategy for self-paced learning. Experiment 2 was designed to test this hypothesis. In 1 condition, participants studied word pairs in a self-paced fashion without any restrictions. In the other condition, participants studied word pairs in a self-paced fashion but total study time per item was equated. The results showed that allowing self-paced learners to freely allocate study time over items resulted in better recall performance.
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In eight experiments, we explored matching effects between oral approach-avoidance movements triggered by word articulation and meaning of the objects the words denoted. Participants (total N = 1264) rated their liking for words that... more
In eight experiments, we explored matching effects between oral approach-avoidance movements triggered by word articulation and meaning of the objects the words denoted. Participants (total N = 1264) rated their liking for words that featured consonantal muscle stricture spots either wandering inwards (e.g., BODIKA, resembling ingestion movements) or outwards (e.g., KODIBA, resembling expectoration movements). These words were labelled as names for various objects. For objects the use of which entails ingestive oral actions (lemonade and mouthwash) inward words were preferred over outward words. For objects that trigger expectorative oral actions (toxical chemical, pill, and bubble gum) this preference was attenuated or even reversed (outward words were liked more than inward). Valence of the denoted object did not play a role in these modulations. Thus, the sagittal direction of mouth movements during silent reading meaningfully interacted with direction of oral actions associated ...
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The present study examined the effect of presentation rate on foreign-language vocabulary learning. Experiment 1 varied presentation rates from 1 s to 16 s per pair while keeping the total study time per pair constant. Speakers of English... more
The present study examined the effect of presentation rate on foreign-language vocabulary learning. Experiment 1 varied presentation rates from 1 s to 16 s per pair while keeping the total study time per pair constant. Speakers of English studied Dutch-English translation pairs (e.g., kikker-frog) for 16 × 1 s, 8 × 2 s, 4 × 4 s, 2 × 8 s, or 1 × 16 s. The results showed a nonmonotonic relationship between presentation rate and recall performance for both translation directions (Dutch → English and English → Dutch). Performance was best for intermediate presentation rates and dropped off for short (1 s) or long (16 s) presentation rates. Experiment 2 showed that the nonmonotonic relationship between presentation rate and recall performance was still present after a 1-day retention interval for both translation directions. Our results suggest that a presentation rate in the order of 4 s results in optimal learning of foreign-language vocabulary.
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Counterbalanced designs are frequently used in the behavioral sciences. Studies often counterbalance either the order in which conditions are presented in the experiment or the assignment of stimulus materials to conditions. Occasionally,... more
Counterbalanced designs are frequently used in the behavioral sciences. Studies often counterbalance either the order in which conditions are presented in the experiment or the assignment of stimulus materials to conditions. Occasionally, researchers need to simultaneously counterbalance both condition order and stimulus assignment to conditions. Lewis (1989; Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers 25:414-415, 1993) presented a method for constructing Latin squares that fulfill these requirements. The resulting Latin squares counterbalance immediate sequential effects, but not remote sequential effects. Here, we present a new method for generating Latin squares that simultaneously counterbalance both immediate and remote sequential effects and assignment of stimuli to conditions. An Appendix is provided to facilitate implementation of these Latin square designs.
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Grounded-cognition theories suggest that memory shares processing resources with perception and action. The motor system could be used to help memorize visual objects. In two experiments, we tested the hypothesis that people use motor... more
Grounded-cognition theories suggest that memory shares processing resources with perception and action. The motor system could be used to help memorize visual objects. In two experiments, we tested the hypothesis that people use motor affordances to maintain object representations in working memory. Participants performed a working memory task on photographs of manipulable and nonmanipulable objects. The manipulable objects were objects that required either a precision grip (i.e., small items) or a power grip (i.e., large items) to use. A concurrent motor task that could be congruent or incongruent with the manipulable objects caused no difference in working memory performance relative to nonmanipulable objects. Moreover, the precision-or power-grip motor task did not affect memory performance on small and large items differently. These findings suggest that the motor system plays no part in visual working memory.
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Visual information contributes fundamentally to the process of object categorization. The present study investigated whether the degree of activation of visual information in this process is dependent on the contextual relevance of this... more
Visual information contributes fundamentally to the process of object categorization. The present study investigated whether the degree of activation of visual information in this process is dependent on the contextual relevance of this information. We used the Proactive Interference (PI-release) paradigm. In four experiments, we manipulated the information by which objects could be categorized and subsequently be retrieved from memory. The pattern of PI-release showed that if objects could be stored and retrieved both by (non-perceptual) semantic and (perceptual) shape information, then shape information was overruled by semantic information. If, however, semantic information could not be (satisfactorily) used to store and retrieve objects, then objects were stored in memory in terms of their shape. The latter effect was found to be strongest for objects from identical semantic categories.
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M. L. Slepian, E. J. Masicampo, N. R. Toosi and N. Ambady (2012, Experiment 1) reported that participants who recalled a big secret estimated a hill as steeper than participants who recalled a small secret. This finding was interpreted as... more
M. L. Slepian, E. J. Masicampo, N. R. Toosi and N. Ambady (2012, Experiment 1) reported that participants who recalled a big secret estimated a hill as steeper than participants who recalled a small secret. This finding was interpreted as evidence that secrets are experienced as physical burdens. In two experiments we tried to replicate this finding, but despite larger power, did not find a difference in slant estimates between participants who recalled a big secret and those who recalled a small secret. This finding was further corroborated by a meta-analysis that included eight published data sets of exact replications which indicates that thinking of a big secret does not affect hill slant estimation. In a third experiment we also failed to replicate the effect of recalling a secret on throwing a beanbag at a target (Slepian et al., 2012, Experiment 2). Together, our findings question the robustness of the original empirical findings.
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Many categories in the world have perceptual qualities that allow us to recognize and interact with them. We recognize apples by their shape and color, and when we eat an apple we recognize the feel in our hand, the texture of skin and... more
Many categories in the world have perceptual qualities that allow us to recognize and interact with them. We recognize apples by their shape and color, and when we eat an apple we recognize the feel in our hand, the texture of skin and flesh when we bite, and the taste and smell of the fruit. But what about the categories in our minds? Do they also have perceptual qualities, and if they do, to what extent do we use these perceptual qualities to categorize, make inferences and predictions, and, in short, to think? This chapter discusses some recent theories that have proposed that the mental representation of categories shares processing mechanisms with perception and action.
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Even without feedback, test practice enhances delayed performance compared to study practice, but the size of the effect is variable across studies. We investigated the benefit of testing, separating initially retrievable items from... more
Even without feedback, test practice enhances delayed performance compared to study practice, but the size of the effect is variable across studies. We investigated the benefit of testing, separating initially retrievable items from initially nonretrievable items. In two experiments, an initial test determined item retrievability. Retrievable or nonretrievable items were subsequently presented for repeated study or test practice. Collapsing across items, in Experiment 1, we obtained the typical cross-over interaction between retention interval and practice type. For retrievable items, however, the cross-over interaction was quantitatively different, with a small study benefit for an immediate test and a larger testing benefit after a delay. For nonretrievable items, there was a large study benefit for an immediate test, but one week later there was no difference between the study and test practice conditions. In Experiment 2, initially nonretrievable items were given additional study followed by either an immediate test or even more additional study, and one week later performance did not differ between the two conditions. These results indicate that the effect size of study/test practice is due to the relative contribution of retrievable and nonretrievable items.
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Abstract The perceptual modalities associated with property words, such as flicker or click, have previously been demonstrated to affect subsequent property verification judgments (Pecher et al., 2003). Known as the conceptual modality... more
Abstract The perceptual modalities associated with property words, such as flicker or click, have previously been demonstrated to affect subsequent property verification judgments (Pecher et al., 2003). Known as the conceptual modality switch effect, this finding supports the claim that brain systems for perception and action help subserve the representation of concepts.
In the last 10–15 years, the embodied and grounded (E and G) cognition approach has become widespread in all fields related to cognitive (neuro) science, and a lot of evidence has been collected. The approach proposes that cognitive... more
In the last 10–15 years, the embodied and grounded (E and G) cognition approach has become widespread in all fields related to cognitive (neuro) science, and a lot of evidence has been collected. The approach proposes that cognitive activity is grounded in sensory–motor processes and situated in specific contexts and situations. This special topic had two aims: first, give an idea of the field in its broadness. Second, focus on some challenges for E and G theories.
A. Introduction An extensive body of research in the last two decades has shown that recent experiences can affect performance even when subjects are not instructed to remember these earlier experiences and even when subjects are not... more
A. Introduction An extensive body of research in the last two decades has shown that recent experiences can affect performance even when subjects are not instructed to remember these earlier experiences and even when subjects are not aware of these experiences. These so-called implicit memory phenomena are usually demonstrated by the repetition priming effect.
Abstract Even without feedback, test practice enhances delayed performance compared to study practice. However, students often cram by studying just before an exam rather than testing themselves. Cramming appears irrational, but this may... more
Abstract Even without feedback, test practice enhances delayed performance compared to study practice. However, students often cram by studying just before an exam rather than testing themselves. Cramming appears irrational, but this may depend on whether items are initially retrievable. In this study, an initial test determined item retrievability. Retrievable or non-retrievable items were subsequently presented for repeated study or test.
Summary Following Tulving (1972) many researchers in the areas of language and memory have made a distinction between a semantic and an episodic memory, corresponding to knowledge and experience, respectively. Tulving (1983, 1984) assumes... more
Summary Following Tulving (1972) many researchers in the areas of language and memory have made a distinction between a semantic and an episodic memory, corresponding to knowledge and experience, respectively. Tulving (1983, 1984) assumes that these are functionally separate systems. In this paper we discuss the origin and the nature of the distinction, followed by a critical discussion of the empirical evidence that has been proposed to support it.
Over the course of the Medin Festschrift, we heard a lot about Doug's intellectual qualities and contributions. Certainly these are impressive and significant. Nevertheless, one thing that I've learned from adopting the embodied... more
Over the course of the Medin Festschrift, we heard a lot about Doug's intellectual qualities and contributions. Certainly these are impressive and significant. Nevertheless, one thing that I've learned from adopting the embodied perspective on cognition is that this perspective often leads one to notice new things not noticed from other perspectives. Given the strong cognitive orientation of most participants here, it is perhaps not surprising that we have focused thus far on Doug's intellectual qualities.
Many studies have shown that task performance is affected by the relation between the spatial location and the meaning of a target word.
Recent studies show that emotional stimuli impair the identification of subsequently presented, briefly flashed stimuli. In the present study, we investigated whether emotional distractors (primes) impaired target processing when... more
Recent studies show that emotional stimuli impair the identification of subsequently presented, briefly flashed stimuli. In the present study, we investigated whether emotional distractors (primes) impaired target processing when presentation of the target stimulus was not impoverished. In lexical decision, animacy decision, rhyme decision, and nonword naming, targets were presented in such a manner that they were clearly visible (ie, targets were not masked and presented until participants responded).
Pecher et al.(2010) presented targets (eg, helicopter, submarine) up and down on a computer screen. Participants were either asked to indicate whether these objects were typically found in the ocean, or typically found in the sky. The... more
Pecher et al.(2010) presented targets (eg, helicopter, submarine) up and down on a computer screen. Participants were either asked to indicate whether these objects were typically found in the ocean, or typically found in the sky. The authors examined whether congruency effects between the vertical position of words and their meaning were best accounted for by mental simulations or by polarity benefits (default asymmetries in the way people process dimensions).
Even without feedback, test practice enhances delayed performance compared to study practice, but the size of the effect is variable across studies. We investigated the benefit of testing, separating initially retrievable items from... more
Even without feedback, test practice enhances delayed performance compared to study practice, but the size of the effect is variable across studies. We investigated the benefit of testing, separating initially retrievable items from initially nonretrievable items. In two experiments, an initial test determined item retrievability. Retrievable or nonretrievable items were subsequently presented for repeated study or test practice.
Fifty years of research in cognitive science have demonstrated that the study of cognition is essential for a scientific understanding of human behavior. A growing number of researchers in the field are proposing that mental processes... more
Fifty years of research in cognitive science have demonstrated that the study of cognition is essential for a scientific understanding of human behavior. A growing number of researchers in the field are proposing that mental processes such as remembering, thinking, and understanding language are based on the physical interactions that people have with their environment.
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Thinking about the abstract concept power may automatically activate the spatial up-down image schema (powerful up; powerless down) and consequently direct spatial attention to the image schema-congruent location. Participants indicated... more
Thinking about the abstract concept power may automatically activate the spatial up-down image schema (powerful up; powerless down) and consequently direct spatial attention to the image schema-congruent location. Participants indicated whether a word represented a powerful or powerless person (e.g ‘king’ or ‘servant’). Following each decision, they identified a target at the top or bottom of the visual field. In Experiment 1 participants identified the target faster when their spatial position was congruent with the perceived power of the preceding word than when it was incongruent. In Experiment 2 ERPs showed a higher N1 amplitude for congruent spatial positions. These results support the view that attention is driven to the image schema congruent location of a power word. Thus, power is partially understood in terms of vertical space, which demonstrates that abstract concepts are grounded in sensory-motor processing.
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In the present study we investigated whether the mental representation of the concept categories is represented by the container image schema (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). In two experiments participants decided whether two pictures were from... more
In the present study we investigated whether the mental representation of the concept categories is represented by the container image schema (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). In two experiments participants decided whether two pictures were from the same category (animal or vehicle). Pictures were presented inside or outside a frame that should activate the container schema. We found that performance to pictures was
influenced by the frame in congruence with the metaphorical mapping (same category – inside bounded region; different category – not in same bounded region). These results show that the concept categories is metaphorically represented by containers.
influenced by the frame in congruence with the metaphorical mapping (same category – inside bounded region; different category – not in same bounded region). These results show that the concept categories is metaphorically represented by containers.
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In the last decade many researchers have obtained evidence for the idea that cognition shares processing mechanisms with perception and action. Most of the evidence supporting the grounded cognition framework focused on representations of... more
In the last decade many researchers have obtained evidence for the idea that cognition shares processing mechanisms with perception and action. Most of the evidence supporting the grounded cognition framework focused on representations of concrete concepts, which leaves open the question how abstract concepts are grounded in sensory-motor processing. One promising idea is that people simulate concrete situations and introspective experiences to represent abstract concepts [Barsalou, L. W., & Wiemer-Hastings, K. (2005). Situating abstract concepts. In D. Pecher, & R. A. Zwaan (Eds.), Grounding cognition: The role of perception and action in memory, language, and thinking (pp. 129–163). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.], although this has not yet been investigated a lot. A second idea, which more researchers have investigated, is that people use metaphorical mappings from concrete to abstract concepts [Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: Chicago University Press.]. According to this conceptual metaphor theory, image schemas structure and provide sensory-motor grounding for abstract concepts. Although there is evidence that people automatically activate image schemas when they process abstract concepts, we argue that situations are also needed to fully represent meaning.
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"The conceptual metaphor theory states that abstract concepts are represented by image schemas from concrete domains. In the present study we investigated the mapping for SIMILARITY IS CLOSENESS using tasks with nonlinguistic materials.... more
"The conceptual metaphor theory states that abstract concepts are represented by image schemas from concrete domains. In the present study we investigated the mapping for SIMILARITY IS CLOSENESS using tasks with nonlinguistic materials. In Experiments 1 and 2 participants decided whether two squares were similar or dissimilar in colour. The spatial distance between the squares was varied. Performance to similar colours was better at shorter distances, whereas performance to dissimilar colours was better at longer distances. In Experiments 3 and 4 participants made distance decisions to similar and dissimilar colours squares. Performance was not affected by similarity. These results show that metaphorical mappings can be found even beyond the context of linguistic metaphors and that the mapping between SIMILARITY and CLOSENESS is
asymmetrical."
asymmetrical."
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The independent cue technique has been developed to test traditional interference theories against inhibition theories of forgetting. In the present study, the authors tested the critical criterion for the independence of independent... more
The independent cue technique has been developed to test traditional interference theories against inhibition theories of forgetting. In the present study, the authors tested the critical criterion for the independence of independent cues: Studied cues not presented during test (and unrelated to test cues) should not contribute to the retrieval process. Participants first studied a subset of cues (e.g., rope) that were subsequently studied together with a target in a 2nd study phase (e.g., rope-sailing, sunflower-yellow). In the test phase, an extralist category cue (e.g., sports, color) was presented, and participants were instructed to recall an item from the study list that was a member of the category (e.g., sailing, yellow). The experiments showed that previous study of the paired-associate word (e.g., rope) enhanced category cued recall even though this word was not presented at test. This experimental demonstration of covert cuing has important implications for the effectiveness of the independent cue technique.