These stimuli were used in the following experiment:

GERNSBACHER, M. A., VARNER, K. R., & FAUST, M. (1990). Investigating differences in general comprehension skill. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 16, 430-445. [view PDF]

Experimental Items

I = Probe word is related to an Inappropriate meaning of the final word.

U = Probe word is Unrelated to meaning of final word.

FIRE
I: He won the match
U: He won the title

HEAD
I: She went to the temple
U: She went to the sanctuary

DRUM
I: She caught the bass
U: She caught the trout

BELL
I: She put on the ring
U: She put on the necklace

BALL
I: He ate from the bowl
U: He ate from the plate

ACE
I: He dug with the spade
U: He dug with the shovel

CHURCH
I: He calculated the mass
U: He calculated the length

JOKE
I: She started to gag
U: She started to cough

BEER
I: He resisted the draft
U: He resisted the war

HUNT
I: He ate a stalk
U: He ate a piece

BOTTOM
I: He played with the top
U: He played with the train

EYE
I: He taught his pupils
U: He taught his child

BRUSH
I: He talked to the sage
U: He talked to the prophet

TENNIS
I: She lit the match
U: She lit the lamp

WAITER
I: She jabbed with the tip
U: She jabbed with the end

STONE
I: He wanted to listen to rock
U: He wanted to listen to jazz

HAIR
I: He built the shed
U: He built the shack

CORN
I: She tried to stalk
U: She tried to creep

WEIGHT
I: She attended the mass
U: She attended the funeral

PAN
I: He smoked the pot
U: He smoked the cigar

CATCHER
I: She drank from the pitcher
U: She drank from the thermos

COW
I: He wanted to steer
U: He wanted to guide

MUSIC
I: She picked up the rock
U: She picked up the pebble

BREAD
I: She had to roll
U: She had to jump

MINUTE
I: He placed second
U: He placed last

SHOVEL
I: She played the spade
U: She played the diamond

LAND
I: She began to plot
U: She began to scheme

WORK
I: She began to shift
U: She began to move

SQUARE
I: He began to box
U: He began to wrestle

COLUMN
I: He liked to row
U: He liked to swim

WRONG
I: She turned to the right
U: She turned to the left

PAIR
I: She had to set
U: She had to fix

WATER
I: He played some bridge
U: He played some chess

GOOD
I: He paid the fine
U: He paid the ticket

DRINK
I: He tried to punch
U: He tried to throw

FRUIT
I: She had a date
U: She had an appointment

STICK
I: He joined the club
U: He joined the group

LOOK
I: She liked the watch
U: She liked the clock

ARMY
I: She drank the draft
U: She drank the booze

HIT
I: She tried the punch
U: She tried the cola

HOLE
I: She had a mole
U: She had a dimple

COUNTRY
I: She washed the china
U: She washed the crystal

PLANE
I: He had a fly
U: He had a flea

OUT
I: He paid the check
U: He paid the bill

GLASS
I: He was the pitcher
U: He was the fielder

ANIMAL
I: He helped to seal
U: He helped to close

ROB
I: He used the mug
U: He used the goblet

CARDS
I: He walked on the deck
U: He walked on the tile

IRON
I: She expected the press
U: She expected the media

GAME
I: She walked across the bridge
U: She walked across the river

SHIP
I: She shuffled the deck
U: She shuffled the papers

GIFT
I: He lived in the present
U: He lived in the future

DISHES
I: He went to China
U: He went to France

FOOL
I: She tried to jerk
U: She tried to yank

DUCK
I: She went to a quack
U: She went to a dentist

FISH
I: She sat on the perch
U: She sat on the ledge

JELLO
I: He grew some mold
U: He grew some fungus

NEWS
I: He started to press
U: He started to push

MONEY
I: She wanted to check
U: She wanted to discover

FIGHT
I: She lifted the box
U: She lifted the crate

SLIDE
I: She wore the slip
U: She wore the nightgown

TOY
I: She climbed to the top
U: She climbed to the peak

CHEESE
I: She made a mold
U: She made a pattern

GIRL
I: He ate a date
U: He ate a plum

WART
I: He dug up the mole
U: He dug up the gopher

CAR
I: She wanted the steer
U: She wanted the bull

WRITE
I: He was the type
U: He was the kind

PAST
I: She wrapped the present
U: She wrapped the package

FIRST
I: She paused a second
U: She paused a while

SHUT
I: She helped the seal
U: She helped the dolphin

KITCHEN
I: She did not want to sink
U: She did not want to trip

PUT
I: He had a set
U: He had a bunch

TIE
I: He shot with the bow
U: He shot with a gun

BRACELET
I: He wanted to charm
U: He wanted to smile

FINGER
I: He heard the ring
U: He heard the sound

CEREAL
I: She used to bowl
U: She used to ski

PORK
I: He began to chop
U: He began to saw

OVER
I: He had a roll
U: He had a muffin

WOOD
I: She began to shed
U: She began to drop

TIME
I: He liked to watch
U: He liked to see

 

Fillers

ALL probe words are related to sentence and sentence-final word.

ROSE
She liked the flower

CONCEAL
She had to hide

DEBATE
He prepared the argument

TAX
He calculated the income

SALSA
She tried the dip

LATE
She waited for him

ASSAULT
She had to attack

CLASS
She attended the school

DRIVE
He used the truck

PRICE
He paid for it

BREAK
She dropped the platter

TOURIST
He was a traveler

CURB
She walked across the street

SICK
He had the flu

FORCE
She had the power

SERMON
He began the speech

QUIT
She wanted to stop

SHINE
She rubbed the shoe

BUSH
He grew a plant

CAB
She expected the taxi

COOK
He fried the meat

MEMBER
He joined the team

TEXT
He left a book

FEELING
He resisted the urge

PAL
He had a friend

REPLY
She had to answer

PUZZLE
He solved the problem

LAUGH
He wanted to chuckle

START
She asked to begin

BUY
She went to shop

OVEN
She cooked in the stove

PET
He had a dog

NAP
He liked to sleep

COLD
She began to shiver

NYLONS
She washed the stockings

ON
She turned the switch

PEOPLE
She helped the poor

ASSIGNMENT
He finished the homework

GEM
He had the jewel

PAPER
He prepared the report

PRACTICE
He sharpened his skills

TRIAL
She went to court

HIKE
He walked on the trail

BLUE
She felt sad

MIX
She turned on the blender

TAKE
She tried to grab

SPEAK
He talked to the boss

SHOW
He had to display

TROPHY
He wanted the award

FILM
She hated the movie

CHEW
He tried a bite

THINK
She used to believe

LIMB
She climbed the branch

GARBAGE
She went to the dump

SHOOT
He played pool

IDEA
He played with the thought

HOME
He lived in the house

HEAR
He liked to listen

BAKE
She made a cake

PEPPER
He forgot the spice

JOB
He went to the office

FETCH
He helped to bring

DONATE
She prepared to contribute

SURF
He went to the beach

BAD
He did it poorly

ORANGE
She drank the juice

LIE
He wanted to fib

MEAL
She went to lunch

WHIRL
She began to spin

GOAL
He played soccer

TOWN
He went to the village

RAT
She wanted the rodent

DEPART
He tried to leave

POND
She liked the lake

LAWN
He started the mower

BROOK
He crossed the stream

PICTURE
He shot with a camera

ENTER
She walked through the door

SING
He heard the opera

COUCH
She sat on the sofa