Costa, AlbertAlario, F.-XavierCaramazza, Alfonso2019-09-222005Costa, Albert, F.-Xavier Alario, and Alfonso Caramazza. 2005. “On the Categorical Nature of the Semantic Interference Effect in the Picture-Word Interference Paradigm.” Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 12 (1): 125–31. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03196357.1069-93841531-5320http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:41384838Two picture-word interference experiments are reported in which the boundaries of the semantic interference effect are explored. In both experiments, participants named pictures (e.g., a picture of a car) that appeared with superimposed word distractors. Distractor words from the same semantic category as the word for the picture (e.g., CAR) produced semantic interference, whereas semantically related distractors from a different category (e.g., BUMPER) led to semantic facilitation. In Experiment 2, the semantic facilitation from semantically related distractors was replicated. These results indicate that a semantic relationship between picture and distractor does not necessarily lead to interference and in fact can lead to facilitation. In all but one case tested until now, a semantic relationship between picture and distractor has led to semantic facilitation. The implications of these results for the assumption that the semantic interference effect arises as a consequence of lexical competition are discussed.en-USJournal Article2019-09-2210.3758/BF03196357