The lexical constituency model: some implications of research on Chinese for general theories of reading.
The authors examine the implications of research on Chinese for theories of reading and propose the lexical constituency model as a general framework for word reading across writing systems. Word identities are defined by 3 interlinked constituents (orthographic, phonological, and semantic). The implemented model simulates the time course of graphic, phonological, and semantic priming effects, including immediate graphic facilitation followed by graphic inhibition with simultaneous phonological facilitation, a pattern unique to the Chinese writing system. Pseudocharacter primes produced only facilitation, supporting the model's assumption that lexical thresholds determine phonological and semantic, but not graphic, effects. More generally, both universal reading processes and writing system constraints exist. Although phonology is universal, its activation process depends on how the writing system structures graphic units.
Perfetti
Charles A
CA
Learning Research & Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. Perfetti@pitt.edu
Liu
Ying
Y
Tan
Li Hai
LH
D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010700:Phonetics; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011932:Reading; D014825:Vocabulary