Competitor analysis

Business

Neuroscience

Autism

Language production

Lexical item

Marketing

Developmental psychology

Philosophy

Cognition

Cognitive psychology

Artificial intelligence

Management

Psychology

Economics

Autism spectrum disorder

Neurotypical

Computer science

Linguistics

Task (project management)

Selection (genetic algorithm)

Cognitive Neuropsychology

Competitive accounts of lexical selection propose that the activation of competitors slows down the selection of the target. Non-competitive accounts, on the other hand, posit that target response latencies are independent of the activation of competing items. In this paper, we propose a signal detection framework for lexical selection and show how a flexible selection criterion affects claims of competitive selection. Specifically, we review evidence from neurotypical and brain-damaged speakers and demonstrate that task goals and the state of the production system determine whether a competitive or a non-competitive selection profile arises. We end by arguing that there is conclusive evidence for a flexible criterion in lexical selection, and that integrating criterion shifts into models of language production is critical for evaluating theoretical claims regarding (non-)competitive selection.

To select or to wait? The importance of criterion setting in debates of competitive lexical selection