Differences of negation processes in the function of complexity of the cognitive structure

Abstract

In order to examine affirmative and negative processes in the function of the complexity of the cognitive structure, in experiment I college students were presented place names on CRTs and were asked whether they had been to such places. In experiment II tasks identifying place names were added. Affirmative RTs were relatively constant with distant and close places. Negative RTs, however, were fast with distant places where the cognitive structure was hierarchically simple and slow with close places where the cognitive structure was complex. Results confirmed that fast negative responses with distant places were made by stopping further inspection when negative superordinates of the places were retrieved. Negative processes with near by places took time to search in comparison to peripheral places, because studied places had stored no information to negate with them. © 1991, The Japanese Association of Educational Psychology. All rights reserved.