394 



MILDRED WEST LORING 



association, and the reaction time for both types of association 

 increases directly with the number of syllables in the stimulus 

 word. On the basis of these verb associations further elimina- 

 tions in the verb stimulus words were made. It was only lack 

 of time that prevented a more detailed investigation into these 

 types of controlled associations by giving the selected words to 

 a new and larger group of subject in a more systematic manner. 

 This was done only with the selected adjectives and nouns. 



TABLE 6 

 Reaction times for verb-object and verb-subject associations 



Conclusions for the adjective-noun and noun-adjective association 



1. The reaction time for the noun-adjective association is very 

 definitely longer than for the adjective-noun association, for 

 stimulus words having the same number of syllables. The 

 amount of this increase varies with the number of syllables in 

 the groups compared and with the subject. The difference 

 varied from 420 sigma to 950 sigma, but not in any fixed way 

 in passing from words of one syllable to those of two and three 

 syllables. The reason for this definitely longer reaction time for 

 nouns than for adjectives is probably to be sought in the normal 

 order of nouns and adjectives in the English language. With 

 the exception of a few set phrases such as "durance vile" and 

 "choir invisible" the universal order in the English language is 

 adjective-noun. Because of this the habit of reaction in this 

 direction is very stable and as mechanised as is possible with the 

 permutation of adjectives and nouns occurring in language. 



