Semantic retrieval in children and adults

Studied the processes by which 15 undergraduates and 48 8-, 11-, and 13-yr-olds retrieved semantic information from long-term memory. Ss were timed as they judged whether sentences pairing animal names and properties (e.g., "A lion has a mane") were true. Relationships between animal names and properties were varied in 2 ways: properties were at (a) 1 of 3 levels of "saliency" (rated association strength) and (b) 1 of 3 levels of specificity. Closely comparable results were obtained at each age level. Sentences with highly salient properties were verified more quickly than were those with less salient properties, and statements with low-specificity properties were verified more quickly than sentences with more specific properties. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).