Abstract
Ten undergraduates solved 11 word anagrams that had been scaled for associability. Partialling out the effect of solution associability, solution time and anagram associability were negatively correlated. Partialling out the effect of anagram associability, solution time and solution associability were positively correlated. These results were replicated in a second experiment in which 10 additional undergraduates solved the 11 word anagrams in the opposite direction. It was concluded that associability mediates the ease with which a solver breaks down a given anagram and conversely, the difficulty with which a solver finds a given solution.
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Peterson, C., Rubel, C. Associability and anagram solution. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 4, 83–84 (1974). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334201
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334201