Cross-modal repetition priming with homophones provides clues about representation in the word recognition system

Abstract

In three experiments, we assessed the impact of auditory homophone primes (/swi:t/) on lexical decisions to visually presented low-frequency (suite) and high-frequency (sweet) homophone spellings. In Experiment 1 we investigated the time course of these cross-modal repetition priming effects. Results suggested that low-frequency homophone spellings do not reach the same activation level as nonhomophones, even at long SOAs. There were no differences in priming between high-frequency homophones and nonhomophones. In Experiments 2 and 3 we attempted to eliminate the impact of strategies with lower proportions of repetition primes. Results showed smaller priming effects for both low- and high-frequency homophones than for nonhomophones, suggesting that neither homophone spelling is fully activated. Implications for local and distributed models of word recognition are discussed.

Full text

e Mental Lexicon



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



          
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local
 distributed 

     

  
           

 
           
      





           







  







          


 




    





   
maidmade
     

  
  and
           
  

         







        
        





     
    


        maid 
made


 





      

made
  
made 
 


 

          
      


    


      



        
  

   

            
 prane 
    brane     


         

   
       












  


  

          

    


   
        



   







         

     
     






   ale
ail
beveragebe

 





visual

 

           






  



          
     

       


         


         
           











        



  
 


Method
Participants
     





Stimuli
Words
  






    
 

 












sweet     


sound     
 t t t tp

t


suite     


sing     
 t t t t t
p

 
     



  



Nonwords.




 
  sweetsuite





         
  sweet 
   sweet   
     sound 
     sound 
suite
suite
sing
sing

  
          
 







  
      
           




 

brane
brane








Procedure












   

Results



 






FtF
t
Word Responses


       
      


FpMSEF
pMSEF
p MSE F  p MSE   

   


          
  F  p MSE F 
p MSE   Fp
MSEFpMSE
F
pMSEFpMSE
FpMSEFp
MSE     
Fp
MSEF  p MSE   
  F F       


           
F pMSEF  p
MSEF pMSE
FpMSE

  
 
    
  

  

  

  


  















  



  



  



  



 

  















  



  



  



  



 

  















  



  



  



  



 

  















  



  



  



   

 

  















  



  



  



  



 
Note.pp

 
FpMSEF
p MSE    F  p
MSE F  p MSE   
        F  p
MSE F  p MSE    
 F  p MSE F  p
MSE



Pseudohomophone Responses
        


FpMSE
F  p MSE       F
F

F p MSE
F  p MSE       
  F  p MSE F  p
MSE            
           

FFFpMSEF
pMSE
Discussion
    



          



 


  




   



      


 




    
        
    
      

         

     
 

   
    
    
brane




       






 

    brane
 

  

  

 sweet  suite

 










      


     



Method
Participants
     





  
Stimuli
Words.      




Nonwords.



          

          
   
suite
 suite
  sing       
sing






  
       


  


Procedure



 
Results





 

  
  



  




  







  



  



 

  







  



  



 

  








  







  



  



 

  







pp

  
Word Responses
           



F pMSEF
pMSE FF
  
 

           F
pMSEFpMSE
FpMSE F
p MSE         
  F  p MSE F 
pMSEFp
MSEFpMSE
 
FFpMSE




Pseudohomophone Responses



   F  p MSE F 
pMSE
Discussion

          
       





 
     


  
     
   



Method
Participants
     




Stimuli
Words.  



Nonwords.


          
          
sweet
sweet
       sound 
   sound
 





  


Procedure

Results



 

  
  



  




  







  



  



 

  







  



  



 

  








  







  



 



 

  







pp

 


Word Responses
           

    
         
FpMSE
F  p MSE       F
pMSEFpMSE



           F
 p MSE F  p MSE
F F  
FpMSEF
pMSEF
p MSE F  p MSE    
F
 p MSE F  p MSE 
FF




Pseudohomophone Responses


            
FFFp
MSEFpMSE

  
F
p MSE F  p MSE   
       F  p MSE
FpMSE

  
Discussion



          


 


    








          



   




       
   


         



 


       



 

      
   


 

             
        



  





 











   



  



 










     

     


        
  

   
 

  


   



 

  






 

 
 
 




         

    
 




     







       

sweetsuite
  
       









 
     

  
       
        







  
 




           


  
 
    




“e Problem of Blend States”
   






 



 

 
        













      
           







    


  





   

Conclusion




  
     

 
      
 





      

    
      



Journal of Experimental Psychol-
ogy: Human Perception & Performance, 10,

Lan-
guage processing

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning,
Memory, and Cognition, 21,
Jour-
nal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 22,
       Wordmine database: Probabilistic values for all four to
seven letter words in the English language
Journal of Experimental
Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 28,

Attention and Performance VI. 


Psychological Review, 108, 

 
   
Language & Cognitive
Processes, 19,

e Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 56A, 

Language & Cognitive Processes, 12,

Cognitive Science, 23,

Cognitive Psychology, 45, 
          
   Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, &
Cognition, 17,
        
Psychological Review, 103,
     
Memory & Cognition, 29, 

 Psychological Review,
111,

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and
Performance, 22,


Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition,
28,
  
Journal of Memory & Language, 55, 

    
Localist connectionist approaches to human
cognition

Cognitive Psychology, 13,

Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 14,
   
 Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning,
Memory, & Cognition, 20,

  Journal of Ex-
perimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 20,

  

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Per-
ception and Performance, 14,
Computational analysis of present-day American English.


Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and
Performance, 25,
 Cognition,
25,

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 22,

        Cognitive
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
Memory & Cognition, 17,
Cognition,
52,
    
Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychol-
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
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cogni-
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
  Journal of Experimental Psychology:
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Cognitive Science, 28,

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    
Journal of Verbal Learning & Verbal Behavior, 9,
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Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning,
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 
    
     
Language & Cognitive Processes, 22,
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Memory & Cognition, 8,
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Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human
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chology, 117,
 
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 5, 


Behavior Research Methods, Instruments & Computers, 29,
Author’s address








   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

  
   
   
   
   
   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
