Encoding homophones and synonyms for verbal discrimination and recognition

Abstract

Forced-choice recognition was less accurate for homophones or synonyms than for unrelated words, suggesting that information about both semantic and phonetic attributes of English words may be encoded. Forced-choice discrimination (when both words had been presented together with the correct word underlined) was less accurate than recognition of unrelated words, but was as accurate for homophones and synonyms as for unrelated words, suggesting that information about either semantic or phonetic attributes may be encoded selectively. These findings are consistent with the view that words may be treated as complexes of differential features.