title: Word recognition and orthographic context effects in a letter-by-letter reader.
abstract: The performance of letter-by-letter readers when attempting to decipher written material gives the impression that words fail to directly evoke any higher-level representation. As a consequence, spelling patterns appear to be treated perceptually as if they were a collection of random letters. We tested the hypothesis that words are no longer mapped onto orthographic descriptions by examining the ability of a letter-by-letter reader to identify letters in familiar words, pseudowords, and random strings. A clear effect of orthographic context was obtained on the accuracy of letter recognition, indicating that spelling patterns do gain access to more central components of the reading mechanism. The implications of this result for our understanding of the syndrome are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Montreal Neurological Institute, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Bub
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Howell
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000523:psychology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003210:Concept Formation; D004411:Dyslexia, Acquired / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D008579:Meningioma / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D010700:Phonetics; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000523:psychology; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics