A Test of the Dichotomy Corollary: Propositions Versus Constructs as Basic Cognitive Units

Abstract

The present study tested whether knowledge is retrieved from memory as separate propositions or as complete dichotomous constructs. According to proposition-based models, only the most directly related concept within a construct should be retrieved. However, one implication of Kelly's dichotomy corollary is that both poles of a relevant construct should be activated to the same extent when the construct is retrieved from memory. To compare the two predictions, subjects performed a lexical decision task that measured the degree to which unipolar propositions or bipolar constructs were activated when primed by names of familiar persons. The results tended to support a construct-based rather than a proposition-based position. Both construct poles were equally activated when the name was related to the construct, and were activated to a greater extent than when the name was unrelated to the construct