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Words that have a number of related senses are polysemous. For example, paper refers to both a substance and a publication printed on that substance. Five experiments investigated whether different senses are represented distinctly in the lexicon or if there is a common, core meaning. In all experiments, a polysemous word was used twice, in phrases that selected the same or different senses. Experiment 1 showed that sense consistency aided memory for the polysemous word. Experiment 2 extended this result to a timed sensicality judgment task. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the effects for polysemous words were very similar to those for homonyms. Experiment 4 ruled out the possibility of modifier-modifier priming. Experiment 5 showed that sense consistency facilitates comprehension relative to a neutral baseline, while sense inconsistency inhibits comprehension. These experiments provide evidence that polysemous words have separate representations for each sense and that any core meaning is minimal.

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There is a growing popularity of data-driven best practices in a variety of fields. Although we applaud the impulse to replace anecdotes with evidence, it is important to appreciate some of the cognitive constraints on promulgating best practices to be used by practitioners. We use the evidence-based medicine (EBM) framework that has become popular in health care to raise questions about whether the approach is consistent with how people actually make decisions to manage patient safety. We examine six potential disconnects and suggest ways to strengthen best practices strategies.

In the range of specialized work equipment, pointe shoes occupy a special place. The design of these essential tools for dancers has remained essentially unchanged for 200 years. In an age of high-tech sneakers, pointe shoes are made of cardboard, newspaper, fabric, and glue and cause countless injuries and tremendous pain to ballerinas. In this project, we consider them in an ergonomic and usability context and explore design changes to improve their safety, comfort, usability, and durability.