The bestersell effect: Nuances in positional encoding of morphemes in visual word recognition

Area of Science:

• Psycholinguistics
• Cognitive Science
• Linguistics

Background:

• Previous research indicated strict positional constraints for affixes in English word recognition.
• Stem morphemes are recognized regardless of position, but prefixes and suffixes typically require specific locations (initial/final).
• Words with multiple affixes suggest affixes can appear in atypical positions while retaining meaning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the positional encoding of mid-embedded suffixes in English words.
• To determine if suffixes in non-typical positions are processed differently than those in typical positions.
• To challenge existing models of morphological processing regarding affix positional constraints.

Main Methods:

• Two lexical decision experiments were conducted with 90 native English-speaking participants each.
• Nonwords with transposed mid-embedded suffixes and string-initial suffixes were compared against orthographic controls.
• Stimuli included transposed tri-morphemic nonwords and nonwords with string-initial suffixes.

Main Results:

• A significantly larger morpheme transposition effect was observed for mid-embedded suffixes compared to string-initial suffixes.
• Nonwords like 'bestersell' (derived from 'bestseller') activated the correct lexical representation, hindering rejection.
• Suffixes demonstrated greater positional flexibility than previously assumed.

Conclusions:

• Suffixes are not as strictly positionally encoded as previously believed.
• The findings challenge current predictions of positional requirements for affixes in morphological processing.
• More nuanced theoretical models are needed to account for affix processing in atypical locations.