Dominance and typicality norms for properties: Convergent and discriminant validity

Abstract

Sensory properties of verbally depicted items, such as those of color or shape, were indexed for dominance (frequency of output) and typicality (perceptual "goodness"). Participants (total N=193) served in one of four conditions. The most dominant property response was computed for 105 nouns by one group. A second group rated these properties for typicality, relative to a constituent property (i.e., given one's idea of yellow, how typically "yellow" are the following items: butter, canary, daffodil, ...). A third group produced as many properties as possible for each of 65 nouns. Dominance was computed for all 459 properties so produced. The last group rated these 459 properties for typicality relative to the parent noun (i.e., Given your image of an apple, how typically round is it? How typically soft is it? etc.). A multimethod-multitrait analysis indicated that both typicality and dominance were reliable, and that both exhibited convergent and discriminant validity. Typicality measured relative to an ideal property exhibited greater discriminant validity from dominance than when measured relative to the parent noun. Selected uses of these norms in studies of semantic memory, metaphor judgment, and concept identification were discussed. © 1983 Psychonomic Society, Inc.