Taxonomic semantic relation prevails in object naming: Larger and earlier effects of taxonomic relation compared to thematic relation

Long-term semantic systems are specialized for taxonomic and thematic relations. In the present study, we investigated the influence of taxonomic and thematic relations on object naming. Leveraging the existing dataset (N = 32) and expanding the sample (total N = 48). Using a blocked cyclic naming paradigm, we explored semantic effects within both taxonomic and thematic contexts, using an identical set of stimuli. A set of sixteen objects was categorized into either a taxonomic context or a thematic context. Our results show that both contexts trigger semantic interference, with a more pronounced interference in the taxonomic context than in the thematic context. The taxonomic context modulated event-related potentials (ERPs) within the time windows of 134–456 msec after picture onset, while the thematic context modulated ERPs in 230–362 msec after picture onset. These results reveal larger and earlier effects of taxonomic relations compared to thematic relations, indicating that taxonomic relation prevails in object naming.