Related Experiment Videos
Word familiarity and frequency in visual and auditory word recognition
C M Connine1, J Mullennix, E Shernoff
1Department of Psychology, State University of New York, Binghamton 13901.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|November 1, 1990
Summary
High-frequency words and familiar words are processed faster in visual and auditory lexical decision tasks. Naming tasks reveal frequency effects diminish with delay, while familiarity effects persist across modalities.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Printed word frequency and subjective familiarity are key factors influencing word recognition.
- Understanding these factors is crucial for theories of lexical access and processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of printed word frequency and subjective familiarity on word processing.
- To examine modality-specific (visual vs. auditory) and task-specific effects.
Main Methods:
- Four experiments employed visual and auditory lexical decision tasks and cued naming tasks.
- Stimuli included words of varying printed frequency and subjective familiarity.
- Reaction times and naming responses were recorded under different delay conditions.
Main Results:
- A reaction time advantage was observed for high-frequency and high-familiarity words in both visual and auditory lexical decision tasks.
- In visual naming, a frequency effect was present without delay but diminished with longer delays.
- Auditory naming showed no frequency effect, but familiarity effects were consistent across both naming experiments.
Conclusions:
- Printed word frequency plays a role in lexical access, particularly in tasks without extended delays.
- Subjective familiarity appears to be a more robust predictor of word processing efficiency across different tasks and modalities.
- Findings highlight task- and modality-specific influences on word recognition.