Abstract
A factorial experiment was carried out to test the hypothesis that Imageability and concreteness are alternative measures of the same verbal attribute. There was a highly significant interaction between the two scales and the individual stimulus items employed. Examples are given of items differentiating between the scales. It was concluded that Imageability and concreteness should be distinguished, both experimentally and theoretically.
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This research was supported by the Science Research Council and by the Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom. The experiment was carried out while the author was at the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Sussex. Professor A. Paivio kindly provided the list of nominalizations from which the material was selected, and E. C. C. Wynter, Headmaster of Hay wards Heath Grammar School, gave permission for the questionnaires to be administered to his pupils. R. Q. Goodwin assisted in the selection of the material. Finally, I am grateful for the comments of W. F. Battig, who sponsors this paper and takes full editorial responsibility for its content.
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Richardson, J.T.E. Imageability and concreteness. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 7, 429–431 (1976). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337237
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337237