An accumulator model of semantic interference

To explain latency effects in picture-word interference tasks, cognitive models need to account for both interference and stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) effects. As opposed to most models of picture-word interference, which model the time course during the task in a ballistic manner, the RACE model (retrieval by accumulating evidence) presented in this paper accounts for semantic interference during the interval between the retrieval onset and the actual retrieval. RACE is implemented as an extension to the ACT-R architecture of cognition. By modeling the retrieval process, RACE offers a more precise account of semantic memory retrieval latencies in different interference and SOA conditions than other ACT-R models. In this paper, we discuss the architectural assumptions underlying RACE and simulations of a picture-word interference experiment [Glaser, W. R., & Dungelhoff. F. J. (1984). The time course of picture-word interference.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 10( 5), pp. 640 - 654.]. (C) 2007 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.