The fundamental purpose of creating nonsense syllables is to ____.

Question

​The fundamental purpose of creating nonsense syllables is to ____.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Creating nonsense syllables allows researchers to control for previous learning by ensuring that the meanings and associations that participants bring to the study are not influencing the results. Nonsense syllables also prevent participants from relying on pre-existing knowledge of words and their meanings, which could otherwise influence their responses.

Answer: C 
 By using nonsense syllables, researchers can assess word associations that are not influenced by unconscious material, such as personal experiences, emotions, or cultural norms that participants may associate with real words. This allows for a more controlled measure of word association and reduces the potential for extraneous variables to influence the results.

Answer: D 
 Similarly to controlling for previous learning, creating nonsense syllables can offset the influence of past reinforcements and punishments that one may associate with certain words. For example, if a participant has an aversion to a particular word due to past negative experiences, this could influence their word association responses. Nonsense syllables prevent this effect by ensuring that all stimuli are equally unfamiliar and devoid of pre-existing associations.

​The Fundamental Purpose of Creating Nonsense Syllables Is to ____

The Fundamental Purpose of Creating Nonsense Syllables Is to ____