Models Of Visual Word Recognition Research Articles

Effects of word length and frequency on word identification in second- and fifth-grade children as a function of language skills

The purpose of the current study was to examine the combined effect of word length and lexical frequency in a lexical decision task in second- and fifth-grade children with varying language skills. The participants, 47 second graders and 55 fifth graders, performed a lexical decision task in which word length and lexical frequency were manipulated orthogonally so that 32 words were short and frequent (e.g., fleur [flower]), 32 words were short and rare (e.g., navet [turnip]), 32 words were long and frequent (e.g., escalier [staircase]), and 32 words were long and rare (e.g., boussole [compass]). Language skills (phonological awareness, reading, vocabulary, and rapid automatized naming skills) were measured using standard language tests. The results showed that word length and, to a lesser extent, lexical frequency influence the speed and accuracy of word identification in different ways, depending on the children’s educational level. Furthermore, language skills were found to influence the effects of word length and frequency, differently in second- and fifth-grade children. The results are interpreted within the dual-route model of visual word recognition. The role of language skills in the implementation of these processes is also discussed.

PONG: A computational model of visual word recognition through bihemispheric activation.

Orthographic processing is an open problem. Decades of visual word recognition research have fueled the development of various theoretical frameworks. Although these frameworks have had good explanatory power, various recent results cannot be satisfactorily captured in any model. In order to account for old and new phenomena alike, here I present a new theory of how the brain computes letter positions. According to PONG (which describes the Positional Ordering of N-Grams), each hemisphere of the brain comprises a set of mono- and multigram detectors. The crux is that the detectors for a given N-gram are activated to different extents in their respective hemispheres, depending on where in the visual field the N-gram is located. This differential activity allows the brain to estimate the leftness or rightness of that N-gram, whereby word activation is a function of the N-gram's identity plus its laterality relative to that of other activated N-grams. Simulations with PONG suggest that the framework effectively accounts for classic phenomena, as well as newer phenomena and cross-linguistic differences that cannot be explained by other models. I also reflect on the neurophysiological plausibility of the model and avenues for future inquiry. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Positional encoding of morphemes in visual word recognition.

Reading morphologically complex words requires analysis of their morphemic subunits (e.g., play + er); however, the positional constraints of morphemic processing are still little understood. The current study involved three unprimed lexical decision experiments to directly compare the positional encoding of stems and affixes during reading and to investigate the role of semantics during the position encoding of morphemes. Experiment 1 revealed that transposed compound words were harder to reject than their controls (e.g., dreamday vs. shadeday), whereas there was no difference between transposed suffixed words and their controls (e.g., fulpain vs. adepain). Experiment 2 replicated the results for transposed compound words of the first experiment and further showed that there was no difference between transposed prefixed words and their controls (e.g., qualifydis vs. qualifymis). Experiment 3 investigated the role of semantic transparency in morpheme transposition effects and revealed a larger morpheme transposition effect for semantically transparent transposed compound words (e.g., cuptea vs. taptea) than for semantically opaque transposed compound words (e.g., linedead vs. deskdead). These results bring to light important differences in the positional encoding of stems and affixes, suggesting that prefixes and suffixes are recognized in a position-dependent manner compared to the position-independent encoding of embedded stems and that morpheme transposition effects are guided by semantics. The current findings call for more clearly specified theoretical models of visual word recognition that reflect the distinct positional constraints of stems and affixes, as well as the influence of semantics on morphological processing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The neural correlates of sub-lexical semantics and its integration with the lexical meaning in reading Chinese characters

The semantic neural routes in contemporary models of visual word recognition are mainly constructed based on lexical-semantic processing. However, the neural bases of processing semantic cues embodied in sub-lexical units are less clear. The current fMRI study takes the ideographic property of Chinese characters (The semantic radical can provide a semantic cue for the character's meaning) to explore the brain mechanisms of sub-lexical semantic processing and its interaction with lexical-semantic processing in a lexical decision task. The GLM results and further ROI analysis revealed that the lexical-semantic processing relied on the left posterior Middle Temporal Gyrus (pMTG) and Angular Gyrus (AG); the sub-lexical semantic processing relied on the left middle MTG (mMTG) and AG; their integration relied on the left Anterior Temporal Lobe (ATL). It sheds light on investigating the neural circuit of the semantic processing in visual word reading.

Breaking the boundaries: the power of ligatures in visual-word recognition.

Current neurobiological-inspired models of visual-word recognition propose that letter detectors in the word recognition system can tolerate some variations in the visual form of the letters. However, it is unclear whether this tolerance extends to novel ligatures, which combine two letters into a single glyph. To investigate this, the present study utilized a masked priming experiment with a lexical decision task to examine whether primes containing novel ligatures are effective in activating their corresponding base word, relative to omitted-letter primes, in the initial stages of word processing. For each target word (e.g., VIRTUAL), were created an identity prime (virtual), a prime containing a novel ligature of two of the letters (e.g., virtual; "ir" in a single glyph), and an omitted-letter prime where one letter was removed (e.g., vrtual [omitted-vowel] in Experiment 1; vitual [omitted-consonant] in Experiment 2). Results showed that the presence of a novel ligature in the prime resulted in faster lexical decision times compared to a prime with an omitted vowel (Experiment 1), but not with an omitted consonant (Experiment 2). Furthermore, the performance with the primes containing the novel ligature was not different from that of the identity primes. These results suggest that the word recognition system can quickly enable separate letter detectors for novel ligatures. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the front-end of visual-word recognition.

Bidirectional cross-linguistic influence with different-script languages: Evidence from eye tracking

AbstractThis study compared patterns of nonselective cross-language activation in L1 and L2 visual word recognition with different-script bilinguals. The aim was to determine (1) whether lexical processing is nonselective in the L1 (as in L2), and (2) if the same cross-linguistic factors affected processing similarly in each language. To examine the time course of activation, eye movements were tracked during lexical decision. Thirty-two Japanese–English bilinguals responded to 250 target words in Japanese and in English. The same participants and items (i.e., cognate translation equivalents) were used to directly compare L1 and L2 processing. Response latencies as well as eye movements representing early and late processing were analyzed using mixed-effects regression modeling. Similar cross-linguistic effects, namely cognate word frequency, phonological similarity, and semantic similarity, were found in both languages. These factors affected processing to different degrees in each language, however. While cognate frequency was significant as early as the first fixation, effects of cross-linguistic phonological and semantic similarity arose later in time. Increased phonological similarity slowed responses in L2 but speeded them in L1, while greater semantic overlap was facilitatory in both languages. Results are discussed from the perspective of the BIA+ model of visual word recognition.

한글 시각 단어재인 시의 동음이의어 이득 효과: 어휘판단과제로부터의 증거

The purpose of this study is to examine how homonyms are processed in Korean visual word recognition. In Experiment 1, forty homonyms with unbalanced meaning dominance, 40 control words with a single meaning, and 80 nonwords were selected. Participants conducted a lexical decision task, in which they were asked to decide the lexicality of the letter strings and respond as rapidly as possible without any sacrifice of accuracy. The results showed that homonyms responded faster than monosemic words. In Experiment 2, a consistent pattern of results with those of Experiment 1 was found when homonyms with balanced meaning dominance were used. These results suggest that ambiguous word advantage should be observed in Korean visual word recognition. Theoretical models of visual word recognition were discussed regarding the ambiguous word advantage in visual word recognition.

Visual attention modulates the transition from fine-grained, serial processing to coarser-grained, more parallel processing: A computational modeling study

During reading acquisition, beginning readers transition from serial to more parallel processing. The acquisition of word specific knowledge through orthographic learning is critical for this transition. However, the processes by which orthographic representations are acquired and fine-tuned as learning progresses are not well understood. Our aim was to explore the role of visual attention in this transition through computational modeling. We used the BRAID-Learn model, a Bayesian model of visual word recognition, to simulate the orthographic learning of 700 4-to 10-letter English known words and novel words, presented 5 times each to the model. The visual attention quantity available for letter identification was manipulated in the simulations to assess its influence on the learning process. We measured the overall processing time and number of attentional fixations simulated by the model across exposures and their impact on two markers of serial processing, the lexicality and length effects, depending on visual attention quantity. Results showed that the two lexicality and length effects were modulated by visual attention quantity. The quantity of visual attention available for processing further modulated novel word orthographic learning and the evolution of the length effect on processing time and number of attentional fixations across repeated exposures to novel words. The simulated patterns are consistent with behavioral data and the developmental trajectories reported during reading acquisition. Overall, the model predicts that the efficacy of orthographic learning depends on visual attention quantity and that visual attention may be critical to explain the transition from serial to more parallel processing.

Are goats chèvres, chévres, chēvres, and chevres? Unveiling the orthographic code of diacritical vowels.

An often overlooked but fundamental issue for any comprehensive model of visual-word recognition is the representation of diacritical vowels: Do diacritical and nondiacritical vowels share their abstract letter representations? Recent research suggests that the answer is "yes" in languages where diacritics indicate suprasegmental information (e.g., lexical stress, as in cámara ['ka.ma.ɾa] camera; Spanish), but "no" in languages where diacritics indicate segmental information such as a different phoneme (e.g., the German vowels ä /ɛ/ and a /a/). Here we examined this issue in French, a language that contains a complex set of diacritical vowels (e.g., for the letter e: é, è, ê, and ë). In Experiment 1, using a semantic categorization task, we compared the word identification times to intact diacritical words (e.g., chèvre, goat in English) with a condition with omitted diacritics (chevre). Results showed that the two conditions behaved similarly. In Experiments 2-4, we compared the intact diacritical words with a condition containing a mismatching diacritic, either existing in French (e.g., chévre, chêvre) or not (the macron sign, as in chēvre). We only found a reading cost when replacing the diacritic with an existing one. In Experiments 5-6, we compared the semantic categorization times to intact nondiacritical words (e.g., cheval, horse in English) versus a condition with an added diacritic, either existing (chèval) or not (chēval). We found a reading cost for the words with the added diacritical mark in both cases. We discuss how models of visual-word recognition can be modified to represent diacritical vowels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Visual word recognition: Attention, intention, context, and processing dynamics.

The notion that some mental processes are "automatic" while others are "controlled" is a distinction that appears in virtually all cognition textbooks, as well as in thousands of papers and book chapters. Indeed, so entrenched is the automatic side of this distinction that various leading computational accounts make no mention of it, but instead assume it implicitly. These models, and the field more generally, assume that processing is stimulus triggered and does not need any form of attention or an intention as a preliminary. Further, the fundamental processing dynamics underlying such automatic processing is widely seen as consisting of interactive activation and autonomous in that it unfolds in the same way across contexts. I review a number of findings from my lab that lead me to a different conclusion. Visual word recognition requires a consideration and integrated understanding of automaticity, attention, intention, context, and cognitive processing. I present various findings that challenge the preeminent role ascribed to interactive activation as implemented in the dominant computational models. I conclude that, going forward, the time is due for computational models of visual word recognition (and researchers in the field more generally) to acknowledge that the findings reported here constitute benchmarks that constrain theory and present opportunities for making meaningful advances in our understanding of visual word recognition (and perhaps of cognition more generally). A few proposals for how we might think about some of these processes are offered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Language Dominance Modulates Transposed-Letter N400 Priming Effects in Bilinguals

Models of visual word recognition differ as to how print exposure modulates orthographic precision. In some models, precision is the optimal end state of a lexical representation; the associations between letters and positions are initially approximate and become more precise as readers gain exposure to the word. In others, flexible orthographic coding that allows for rapid access to semantics (i.e., ‘good enough’ orthographic processing) is the optimal end state. To adjudicate between these trajectories, we compared the size of transposed-letter ERP priming effects on two ERP components thought to reflect orthographic and lexico-semantic processing across languages in late English-Spanish bilinguals. Words that are represented precisely should be less susceptible to activation by transposed-letter primes (e.g., shpae-SHAPE) than words that are not, and should therefore yield smaller priming effects. Overall, targets elicited smaller N250s and N400s and faster responses when preceded by transposed-letter primes compared to substitution primes (e.g., shgue-SHAPE). The only effect that significantly differed between languages was N400 priming, which was larger in English, the dominant language. We suggest that these results favor models of learning to read according to which ‘good enough’ orthographic processing increases with print exposure.

Interactions of stimulus quality and semantic context on N400 in visual word recognition

AbstractThe joint effects of stimulus quality and semantic context in visual word recognition were examined with event-related potential (ERP) recordings. In one-character Chinese word recognition, we manipulated stimulus quality at two degradation levels (highly vs. slightly degraded) and semantic context at two priming levels (semantically related vs. unrelated). In a prime–target–probe trial flow, ERPs were recorded to the target character which was presented in either high or slight degradation and which was preceded by either a semantically related or unrelated prime character. The target character was then followed by a probe character which was either identical to or different from the target character. Subjects were instructed to make target–probe matching judgments. The ERP results demonstrated a degradation by priming interaction, with larger N400 semantic priming effects for slightly degraded targets. Moreover, the degradation effects were observed on the P200, N250, and N400. These findings provided evidence for the cascaded model of visual word recognition such that the visual processing cascaded into the semantic stage and thus interacted on the N400 amplitude. The results were compared to an earlier study with a null ERP degradation by priming interaction. The ramifications of these results for models of visual word recognition are discussed.

The Influence of Negative Orthographic Neighborhood in the Lexical Decision Task: Valence and Arousal Contributions.

This study investigated whether the visual recognition of neutral words might be influenced by the emotional dimensions (i.e., valence and arousal) of orthographically similar lexical representations, and whether this might also depend on emotional-related traits of participants (i.e., alexithymia). To this end, 108 participants performed a lexical decision task with 80 neutral words with a higher frequency orthographic neighbor that varied in valence (from neutral to negative) and arousal (from low to high). The main finding was the expected interaction effect between the valence and arousal of the neighbor on the lexical decision times of neutral stimulus words. Longer reaction times were found when the valence score of the neighbor decreased from neutral to negative for words with a low-arousal orthographic neighbor while this emotional neighbor effect was reversed for words with a high-arousal negative neighbor. This combined influence of the valence and arousal of the neighbor was interpreted in terms of increased lexical competition processes and direct influence of the affective system on the participant's response. Moreover, this interaction effect was smaller when the level of alexithymia of the participants increased, suggesting that people with a higher level of alexithymia are less sensitive to the emotional content of the neighbor. The results are discussed within an interactive activation model of visual word recognition incorporating an affective system with valence and arousal dimensions, with regard to the role of the alexithymia level of participants.

Anatomy and physiology of word-selective visual cortex: from visual features to lexical processing.

Over the past 2decades, researchers have tried to uncover how the human brain can extract linguistic information from a sequence of visual symbols. The description of how the brain's visual system processes words and enables reading has improved with the progressive refinement of experimental methodologies and neuroimaging techniques. This review provides a brief overview of this research journey. We start by describing classical models of object recognition in non-human primates, which represent the foundation for many of the early models of visual word recognition in humans. We then review functional neuroimaging studies investigating the word-selective regions in visual cortex. This research led to the differentiation of highly specialized areas, which are involved in the analysis of different aspects of written language. We then consider the corresponding anatomical measurements and provide a description of the main white matter pathways carrying neural signals crucial to word recognition. Finally, in an attempt to integrate structural, functional, and electrophysiological findings, we propose a view of visual word recognition, accounting for spatial and temporal facets of word-selective neural processes. This multi-modal perspective on the neural circuitry of literacy highlights the relevance of a posterior-anterior differentiation in ventral occipitotemporal cortex for visual processing of written language and lexical features. It also highlights unanswered questions that can guide us towards future research directions. Bridging measures of brain structure and function will help us reach a more precise understanding of the transformation from vision to language.

Does omitting the accent mark in a word affect sentence reading? Evidence from Spanish.

Lexical stress in multisyllabic words is consistent in some languages (e.g., first syllable in Finnish), but it is variable in others (e.g., Spanish, English). To help lexical processing in a transparent language like Spanish, scholars have proposed a set of rules specifying which words require an accent mark indicating lexical stress in writing. However, recent word recognition using that lexical decision showed that word identification times were not affected by the omission of a word's accent mark in Spanish. To examine this question in a paradigm with greater ecological validity, we tested whether omitting the accent mark in a Spanish word had a deleterious effect during silent sentence reading. A target word was embedded in a sentence with its accent mark or not. Results showed no reading cost of omitting the word's accent mark in first-pass eye fixation durations, but we found a cost in the total reading time spent on the target word (i.e., including re-reading). Thus, the omission of an accent mark delays late, but not early, lexical processing in Spanish. These findings help constrain the locus of accent mark information in models of visual word recognition and reading. Furthermore, these findings offer some clues on how to simplify the Spanish rules of accentuation.

Letter processing in Russian: Does orthography matter?

Prior research has suggested that the identification and encoding of letter positions within letter strings might be influenced by orthography. Letters in transparent languages (e.g., Greek) with regular grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences are processed sequentially, whereas letters in deep languages (e.g., English) are processed in parallel. In three experiments, we used a visual search paradigm to test this hypothesis on Russian—a relatively transparent language. In Experiment 1, we measured the identification speed of Cyrillic letters at each position in the five-element real words or pronounceable pseudowords. In Experiment 2, the performance was compared to random letter strings, and in Experiment 3, to non-linguistic symbol strings. Our results reveal a search pattern similar to English, excluding strictly serial letter computation, which is inconsistent with the orthography hypothesis. Moreover, we showed that the lexical status and the nature of the string (linguistic/non-linguistic) affect response times for Russian and therefore must be accounted for in models of visual word recognition.

The impact of capitalized German words on lexical access.

Leading models of visual word recognition assume that the process of word identification is driven by abstract, case-invariant units (e.g., table and TABLE activate the same abstract representation). But do these models need to be modified to meet nuances of orthography as in German, where the first letter of common nouns is capitalized (e.g., Buch [book] and Hund [dog], but blau [blue])? To examine the role of initial capitalization of German words in lexical access, we chose a semantic categorization task ("is the word an animal name?"). In Experiment 1, we compared German words in all-lowercase vs. initial capitalization (hund, buch, blau vs. Hund, Buch, Blau). Results showed faster responses for animal nouns with initial capitalization (Hund < hund) and faster responses for lowercase non-nouns (blau < Blau). Surprisingly, we found faster responses for lowercase non-animal nouns (buch < Buch). As the latter difference could derive from task demands (i.e., buch does not follow German orthographic rules and requires a "no" response), we replaced the all-lowercase format with an orthographically legal all-uppercase format in Experiment 2. Results showed an advantage for all nouns with initial capitalization (Hund < HUND and Buch < BUCH). These findings clearly show that initial capitalization in German words constitutes an essential part of the words' representations and is used during lexical access. Thus, models of visual word recognition, primarily focused on English orthography, should be expanded to the idiosyncrasies of other Latin-based orthographies.

On the role of the written accent mark in visual word recognition in Spanish

BackgroundPrevious research has shown that syllables are important units in visual word recognition in Spanish. If they are treated as real phonological units, then other related phonological features such as lexical stress (syllable prominence) may also play a role in this process. At times, lexical stress is the only difference between minimal pairs in Spanish (e.g., sábana ‘sheet’ vs sabana ‘savannah’). These words are usually distinguished by an accent mark. This research examines whether lexical stress is used in visual word recognition and the role of the written accent mark in this process.MethodsIn a lexical decision task, words with an irregular stress pattern according to generative phonological rules (e.g., túnel ‘tunnel’ or mitin ‘meeting’) were compared with regular words (e.g., melón ‘melon’ or grifo ‘faucet’).ResultsIrregular words without an accent mark (mitin) were particularly difficult to recognise. However, irregulars that carried an accent mark were identified significantly more quickly and accurately.ConclusionsThese findings are discussed as evidence that lexical stress may be an important cue in visual word recognition in Spanish, as suggested by previous research in the psycholinguistic and educational fields, and that models of visual word recognition should consider the impact of the accent mark in languages such as Spanish.

A word or two about nonwords: Frequency, semantic neighborhood density, and orthography-to-semantics consistency effects for nonwords in the lexical decision task.

For the most part, the effects of lexical-distributional properties of words on visual word recognition are well-established. More uncertainty remains, however, about the influence of these properties on lexical processing for nonwords. The work presented here investigates the mechanisms that guide nonword processing through an analysis of lexical decision latencies for 18,547 words and 27,079 nonwords in the British Lexicon Project (Keuleers, Lacey, Rastle, & Brysbaert, 2012) using piecewise generalized mixed models (pamms; Bender, Groll, & Scheipl, 2018; Bender & Scheipl, 2018; Bender, Scheipl, Hartl, Day, & Küchenhoff, 2018). The pamm analysis of the data revealed 2 novel effects for nonwords in the lexical-decision task. First, whereas previous studies reported effects of base word frequency, the current study is the first to document a true nonword frequency effect. Second, we report effects of semantic neighborhood density and orthography-to-semantics consistency; not only for words, but also for nonwords. The effects of frequency, semantic neighborhood density and orthography-to-semantics consistency are facilitatory for words, but inhibitory for nonwords. The pamm analysis offers insights into the temporal development of the effects of lexical-distributional variables that are not available through more traditional analysis techniques and that shed new light on lexical processing in visual word recognition tasks. The implications of the reported results for models of visual word recognition are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

What masked priming effects with abbreviations can tell us about abstract letter identities.

Models of visual word recognition share the assumption that lexical access is based on abstract letter identities. The present study re-examined the assumption that this is because information about the visual form of the letter is lost early in the course of activating the abstract letter identities. The main support for this assumption has come from the case-independent masked priming effects. Experiment 1 used common English words presented in lowercase as targets in lexical decision, and replicated the oft-reported case-independent identity priming effect (e.g., edge-edge = EDGE-edge). In contrast, Experiment 2 using abbreviations (e.g., DNA, CIA) produced a robust case-dependent identity priming effect (e.g., DNA-DNA < dna-DNA). Experiment 3 used the same abbreviation stimuli as primes in a semantic priming lexical decision experiment. Here the prime case effect was absent, but so was the semantic priming effect (e.g., dna-GENETICS = DNA-GENETICS = LSD-GENETICS). The results question the view that information about the visual form of the letter is lost early. We offer an alternative perspective that the abstract nature of priming for common words stems from how these words are represented in the reader's lexicon. The implication of these findings for letter and word recognition is discussed. (197 words).