Differential effects of semantic distance, distractor salience, and relations in verbal analogy
Open accessAbstract
Prior studies of A:B::C:D verbal analogies have identified several factors that affect performance, including the semantic similarity between source and target domains (semantic distance), the semantic association between the C-term and incorrect answers (distracter salience), and the type of relations between word pairs. However, it is unclear how these stimulus properties affect performance when utilized together. To test their interactive effects, we created a verbal analogy stimulus set that factorially crossed these factors and presented participants with an analogical stem (A:B::C:?) with two response choices: an analogically correct (D) and incorrect distracter (D') term. The semantic distance between source and target word pairs was manipulated creating near (BOWL:DISH::SPOON:SILVERWARE) and far (WRENCH:TOOL::SAD:MOOD) analogies. The salience of an incorrect distracter (D') was manipulated using the sematic distance with the C-term creating low (DRAWER) and high (FORK) salience distracters. Causal, compositional, and categorical relations were presented across these conditions. Accuracies were higher for semantically near than far analogies and when distracter salience was low than high. Categorical relations yielded better performance than the causal and compositional relations. Moreover, a three-way interaction demonstrated that the effects of semantic distance and distracter salience had a greater impact on performance for compositional and causal relations than for the categorical ones. We theorize that causal and compositional analogies, given their less semantically constrained responses, require more inhibitory control than more constraining relations (e.g., categorical).
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GPT-3 displayed strong zero-shot performance on letter string analogies, four-term verbal analogies, and identification of analogies between stories.
“GPT3 also displayed strong zero-shot performance on letter string analogies, 16 four-term verbal analogies, 17,19-21 and identification of analogies between stories. 18,22,23”
From Emergent analogical reasoning in large language models (2023) · cites this paper as [20]
GPT-3 surpassed the estimated average level of performance for high school students taking the SAT on the Turney et al. SAT analogy dataset.
“On a dataset of SAT analogy problems from Turney et al., 20 GPT-3 surpassed the estimated average level of performance for high school students taking the SAT (Figure 7c).”
From Emergent analogical reasoning in large language models (2023) · cites this paper as [20]
The dataset of SAT problems from Turney et al. is not publicly available, but has been distributed to a relatively small number of researchers.
“The dataset of SAT problems from Turney et al. 20 is not publicly available, but has been distributed to a relatively small number of researchers.”
From Emergent analogical reasoning in large language models (2023) · cites this paper as [20]
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Emergent analogical reasoning in large language models
Webb, T., Holyoak, K. J., & Lu, H. (2023) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-023-01659-w · Cited by 404 · see citing works
- Authors
- Jones, L. L., Kmiecik, M. J., Irwin, J. L., & Morrison, R. G.
- Affiliations
- Wayne State University (US)
- Endeavor Health (US)
- University of La Verne (US)
- Loyola University Chicago (US)
- Corresponding author
- Jones, Lara L.
- Venue
- Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
- Published
- 2022-02-07
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1480-1491
- ISSN
- 1069-9384 (ISSN-L)
- 1531-5320
- OpenAlex
- W4210910017
- Cited by
- 10
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2
- FWCI
- 1.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Language, Metaphor, and Cognition
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Categorization, perception, and language
- Keywords
- verbal analogies, semantic distance, distractor salience, analogical reasoning, semantic relations, causal relationship, categorical relations, inhibitory control, semantic similarity
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Semantics
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