An attribute is worth more than a category: Testing different semantic memory organisation hy potheses in relation to the living/nonliving things dissociation

Abstract

The present paper contrasted categorical and featural hypotheses of semantic memory organisation in relation to the living/nonliving things dissociation phenomenon. In the three experiments reported, normal subjects decided if word pairs representing living, nonliving, or both (mixed pairs) shared a particular perceptual (i.e., four legs, size, and hardness) or functional attribute (i.e., dangerousness, speed, and usefulness). The overall pattern of results is more in accordance with a general featural perspective and also emphasises the role of functional attributes. Both a categorical perspective and an attribute-category connection hypothesis have more difficulties in explaining the observed data. Implications for the study of semantic memory organisation and for the explanation of living/nonliving things dissociation cases are also considered.