The visual processor module and normal adult readers.
Four experiments are reported which investigated the nature of the code used by normal adult readers in nominal matches. It was established that the code is not a name code but a non-visual, non-phonological, case-independent, font-independent, abstract representation: the abstract letter identity code. As nominal matches were found to be impaired when stimuli contained reversible letters from the set (Bb, Dd, Pp, Qq) it is argued that the visual processor must contain a component for checking the orientation of these letters prior to ALI assignment. Results are consistent with the theory that the ALI code is the code generated in the visual processor for use in direct lexical access. It is suggested that the four experiments might be useful in the diagnosis of any possible visual processor malfunction in impaired readers.
Bigsby
P
P
University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000523:psychology*; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D010700:Phonetics; D011930:Reaction Time; D011932:Reading