Visual Word Recognition

• What is a core element of cognitive psychology related to language?

  Mental processes for language comprehension and production
• Why is understanding mental processes for language comprehension important?

  It is fundamental for understanding how children learn to read and reading disorders
• What interplay is important in models of word recognition?

  The interplay between bottom-up (data-driven) and top-down (contextual) knowledge
• What does the Lexical Decision Task measure?

  It measures whether a letter string forms a real word or not
• What is the word frequency effect in word recognition?

  Readers are quicker to recognize common words than rare words
• What is the Semantic Priming Effect?

  It is when a target word is preceded by a semantically related prime, facilitating response
• How do eye movements relate to word recognition in reading?

  Fixation durations on words are sensitive to word recognition processes
• What did Sereno et al. (1998) find regarding ERPs and the word frequency effect?

  The amplitude of the N1 component was lower for high-frequency words than low-frequency words
• What are the properties of automatic processes in word recognition?

  They do not require attention, are not under conscious control, and do not require processing capacity
• What does the subliminal perception study by Hollender (1986) demonstrate?

  Participants are faster to identify a word when preceded by a related prime
• What does the Stroop Effect illustrate about automatic processes?

  It shows that recognizing a word is not under conscious control
• What did Rayner et al. (1981) find regarding eye fixations during reading?

  Participants can read normally under difficult conditions, suggesting little processing capacity is needed
• What conclusions can be drawn about visual word recognition?

  • Visual word recognition is an automatic process.
  • Subliminal priming shows conscious attention is not required.
  • The Stroop Effect indicates recognition is not under conscious control.
  • Limited processing capacity is needed for word recognition.
  • Words are read as wholes, not letter by letter.
• What do bottom-up and top-down processes refer to in word recognition?

  Bottom-up refers to sensory information, while top-down refers to knowledge and expectations guiding interpretation
• What does the Word Superiority Effect suggest about letter identification?

  Lexical access can guide letter identification, showing context effects
• What is the Interactive Activation Model proposed by McClelland & Rumelhart (1981)?

  It is a hierarchical model that allows for both bottom-up and top-down processes in reading
• What are the advantages of different methods for studying word recognition?

  Each method, like lexical decision, eye-tracking, and ERPs, has different advantages
• How do computational models contribute to understanding word recognition?

  They illustrate how word recognition occurs and simulate human cognition