Abstract
The report presents evidence that a lognormal distribution provides a satisfactory model for the relative frequencies of occurrence of 420 conceptual nouns. The nouns had been randomly selected from the Thorndike-Lorge (T-L) source and had been used as the words in a familiarity scale. The model also provides a satisfactory description of the words from the scale which were common to the T-L count and the later Kučera-Francis (K-F) count and of scaled words in the T-L count which were missing from the K-F count. For common words, there has been a very small shift toward lower frequencies of occurrence in the time between the counts. The shift originated in frequency changes in words from the middle and upper frequency categories of the familiarity scale. The report suggests that differences in types of words are responsible for differences in distributions obtained by Carroll for all words in the K-F count and the distributions presented here. It is suggested, further, that the familiarity scale continues to be useful.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
BOWEN, J. H. Familiarity scale values for 420 nouns in twelve combinations of frequency of occurrence and conceptual categorization. Psychological Reports, 1969, 25, Monograph Supplement 3.
CARROLL, J. B. On sampling from a lognormal model of word-frequency distribution In H. Kučera and W. N. Francis (Eds.), Computational analysis of present-day American English. Providence: Brown University, 1967.
CARROLL, J. B. A rationale for an asymptotic lognormal form of word-frequency distributions. Research Bulletin RB-69-90, 1969, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, N.J.
KUČERA, H., & FRANCIS, W. N. Computational analysis of present-day American English. Providence: Brown University, 1967.
THORNDIKE, E. L., & LORGE, I. The teacher’s word book of 30,000 words. New York: Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1944.
WEBSTER’S Third New International Dictionary. (4th ed., unabridged) Springfield, Mass: Merriam, 1967.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The writer gratefully acknowledges the support of a research grant and faculty research fellowship from the Research Foundation of the State University of New York. Also acknowledged with gratitude are: (1) permission from Dr. John B. Carroll to refer to his research bulletin and (2) the assistance of John Strauch.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bowen, J.H. The stability of the printed frequencies of occurrence of 420 English conceptual nouns. Psychon Sci 23, 156–158 (1971). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336054
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336054