Abstract
The experiments reported in this study were conducted to explore the issue of race models versus holistic models of word processing. In both types of model, it is assumed that an available wordlevel encoding for a display will conceal letter information, and thereby inhibit component-letter detection. However, whereas in holistic models it is assumed that encoding always should occur at the word or pattern level first, in the race models it is assumed that encoding occurs at all levels (e.g., feature, letter, and word) simultaneously, with the final level of encoding being at whatever level has been completed first. If the rate of word-level encoding is facilitated by increasing word frequency, the holistic models predict a generally declining latency for letter detection, because the initial step in letter detection (i.e., word-level encoding) will be occurring more rapidly. The race models, on the other hand, predict that with increasing word frequency there will be an increasing chance that the word-level encoding will win the encoding race, resulting in an increase in the latency for letter detection (i.e., the word code will conceal the letter codes). Two experiments are reported, and the obtained pattern of latency data appears to be most consistent with the race models.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chambers, S. M., &Forster, K. I. (1975). Evidence for lexical access m a simultaneous matching task.Memory & Cognition,3, 549–559.
Drewnowski, A. (1978). Detection errors on the word the: Evidence for the acqumition of reading levels.Memory & Cognition,6, 403–409.
Drewnowski, A. (1981). Missing -ing in reading: Developmental changes in reading units.Journal of Experimental Child Psychology,31, 154–168.
Drewnowski, A., Healy, A. F. (1977). Detection errors on the and and: Evidence for reading units larger than the word.Memory & Cognition,5, 636–647.
Gough, P. B. (1972). One second of reading. In J. Kavanagh & I. Mattingly (Eds.),Language by ear and by eye (pp. 331–358). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Healy, A. F, &Drenowski, A. (1983). Investigating the boundaries of reading units: Letter detection in misspelled words.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance,9, 413–426.
Johnson, N. F. (1975). On the function of letters in word identification: Some data and a preliminary model.Journal of Verbal Learning & Verbal Behavior,14, 17–29.
Johnson, N. F. (1977). A pattern-unit model of word identification. In D. LaBerge & S. J. Samuels (Eds.),Basic processes in reading: Perception and comprehension (pp. 91–126). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Johnson, N. F. (1981). Integration processes m word recognition. In O. Tzeng & H. Singer (Eds.),Perception ofprint: Reading research in experimental psychology (pp. 29–64). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Johnson, N. F. (1986). On the detection of letters within redundant arrays.Perception & Psychophysics,40, 93–100.
Johnson, N F., &Blum, A. J. (1988). When redundancy hurts lever detection: An attempt to define one condition.Perception & Psychophysics,43, 147–155.
Johnson, N. F., &Marmurek, H. H. C. (1978). Identificaaon of words and letters within words.American Journal of Psychology,91, 401–415.
Johnson, N. F., Turner-Lyga, M., &Pettegrew, B. S. (1986). Partwhole relationships in the processing of small visual patterns.Memory & Cognition,14, 5–16.
Johnston, J. C. (1981). Understanding word perception: Clues from studying the word-superiority effect. In O. J. L. Tzeng & H. Singer (Eds.),Perception of print: Reading research in experimental psychology (pp. 65–84). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Johnston, J. C., &McClelland, J. L. (1980). Experimental tests of a model of word idenfification.Journal of Verbal Learning & Verbal Behavior,19, 503–524.
Krueger, L. E., &Shapiro, R. G. (1980). Why search for target absence is so slow (and carefull): The more targets there are the more likely you are to miss one.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance,6, 662–685.
Kučera, H., &Francis, W. N. (1967).Computational analysis if present-day American English. Providence, RI: Brown University Press.
Sloboda, J. A. (1976). Decision times for word and letter search: A wholistic word identification model examined.Journal of Verbal Learning & Verbal Behavior,15, 93–101.
Sloboda, J. A. (1977). The locus of the word-priority effect in a targetdetection task.Memory & Cognition,5, 371–376.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Johnson, N.F., Allen, P.A. & Strand, T.L. On the role of word frequency in the detection of component letters. Mem Cogn 17, 474–482 (1989). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03202621
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03202621