Inhibitory effects during object name retrieval: The effect of interval between prime and target on picture naming responses

Three picture naming experiments are reported which examine the relationshi p between the apparent inhibition of a response on one trial, and naming la tency on the subsequent trial. The design of each experiment involves the p resentation of prime and target pairs, either presented in succession (Lag I condition), or separated by two intervening unrelated trials (Lag 3 condi tion). A control condition is also included. In Experiment 1, a speeded pic ture naming task is used, and naming errors are analysed. Target pictures a re misnamed at above chance rates with the name of the semantically related prime picture in the Lag 3 condition. In contrast, these prime-related err ors do not occur in the Lag I condition, suggesting a brief inhibitory effe ct. If primes are briefly inhibited, then target naming latencies immediate ly following a related prime should be quicker than target latencies in the Lag 3 condition. Experiment 2 confirms this pattern of results, using exac tly the same stimuli and design, but standard naming instructions. Experime nt 3 examines whether the inferred inhibition is the result of a self-inhib itory mechanism, using a repetition priming paradigm. If Lag 1 prime repres entations are self-inhibited, then facilitatory effects from prime/target r epetition should be stronger in the Lag 3 condition, than in the Lag 1 cond ition. The data from Expt 3 were not consistent with this prediction. Taken together, the results of the three experiments suggest that a brief inhibi tory effect occurs after retrieval of an object name, and that the inhibiti on may be accomplished by mechanisms other than self-inhibition.