A database of associative strengths from the strength-sampling model: A theory-based supplement to the Nelson, McEvoy, and Schreiber word association norms

Abstract

The strength-sampling model of free association (Nelson, McEvoy, & Dennis, 2000) claims that the probability of word association in free-association norms results from a sampling process. For a given cue word, each response word has an underlying distribution of strength values. In the free-association task, presentation of the cue word activates a random sample of strengths, one for each response. The highest strength wins, and its response is reported. In the present work, gradient descent was used to compute the theoretical mean strengths for each cue-response pair in the Nelson, McEvoy, and Schreiber (2004) norms. The resulting database may be downloaded from www.psychonomic.org/archive/. Copyright 2008 Psychonomic Society, Inc.