Picture-Word Interference Experiment

Picture-Word Interference Task

Select an experiment version to begin:

Phonological PWI

SOA: +300ms (distractor after picture)

Distractor words share onset sounds with the target picture name.

Tests phonological encoding during speech production.

Example: Picture: 🐕 (dog) → Related: "DOLL" | Unrelated: "LAMP"

Semantic PWI

SOA: -150ms (distractor before picture)

Distractor words are category coordinates (same semantic category).

Tests lemma selection and lexical competition.

Example: Picture: 🐕 (dog) → Related: "CAT" | Unrelated: "TABLE"

Conceptual PWI

SOA: -400ms (distractor well before picture)

Distractor words are superordinate category names.

Tests early conceptual preparation in speech planning.

Example: Picture: 🐕 (dog) → Related: "ANIMAL" | Unrelated: "VEHICLE"

Instructions

• Name the picture as quickly as possible while ignoring the word
• Start typing immediately when you see the picture
• Press Enter to submit your response
• Your reaction time is measured from picture onset to your first keystroke

Timing for this version:

+

Start typing as soon as you see the picture

Results

Trial Data

Trial	Block	Item	Picture	Distractor	Condition	RT (ms)	Response	Correct

About Picture-Word Interference

The Picture-Word Interference (PWI) paradigm manipulates when distractor words appear relative to pictures (Stimulus Onset Asynchrony, or SOA) to tap into different stages of speech production.

The Three Versions

Version	SOA	Distractor Type	What It Tests
Phonological	+300ms	Onset overlap (dog/doll)	Late phonological encoding
Semantic	-150ms	Category coordinates (dog/cat)	Lemma selection, lexical competition
Conceptual	-400ms	Superordinates (dog/ANIMAL)	Early conceptual preparation

Latin Square Design (2 Blocks)

This experiment uses a 2-block Latin Square counterbalancing design:

• 3 practice trials: Warm-up trials using different items (bike, fish, moon), constant across all participants
• 12 experimental items divided into 3 groups (A, B, C) of 4 items each
• 3 conditions: Related, Unrelated, Neutral
• 2 blocks: Each participant completes two blocks back-to-back (seamlessly, no indication shown)
• 24 experimental trials: Each item appears twice (once per block, in different conditions)
• Each condition has 8 trials per participant

Block 1 uses one Latin Square list assignment, Block 2 uses a rotated assignment:

List	Block 1: A / B / C	Block 2: A / B / C
1	Rel / Unrel / Neut	Unrel / Neut / Rel
2	Unrel / Neut / Rel	Neut / Rel / Unrel
3	Neut / Rel / Unrel	Rel / Unrel / Neut

Practice trials are excluded from statistical analysis but included in the data download (marked with practice=true).

Why Different Timings?

Different processing stages are active at different times during word production:

• Early (-400ms): Conceptual preparation is happening. Superordinate primes can facilitate or interfere.
• Mid (-150ms): Lemma selection is occurring. This is when semantic competitors cause maximum interference.
• Late (+300ms): Phonological encoding is active. Sound-similar words interfere at this stage.

Key Findings in the Literature

• Semantic interference peaks around SOA -150ms to 0ms (Schriefers et al., 1990)
• Phonological facilitation typically occurs at positive SOAs (Starreveld, 2000)
• Superordinate interference can occur at very early SOAs (Vitkovitch & Tyrrell, 1999)

References

• Schriefers, H., Meyer, A. S., & Levelt, W. J. (1990). Exploring the time course of lexical access in language production. Journal of Memory and Language, 29(1), 86-102.
• Starreveld, P. A. (2000). On the interpretation of onsets of auditory context effects in word production. Journal of Memory and Language, 42(4), 497-525.
• Roelofs, A. (1992). A spreading-activation theory of lemma retrieval in speaking. Cognition, 42(1-3), 107-142.