title: Skilled adult readers activate the meanings of high-frequency words using phonology: Evidence from eye tracking.
abstract: We examined whether highly skilled adult readers activate the meanings of high-frequency words using phonology when reading sentences for meaning. A homophone-error paradigm was used. Sentences were written to fit 1 member of a homophone pair, and then 2 other versions were created in which the homophone was replaced by its mate or a spelling-control word. The error words were all high-frequency words, and the correct homophones were either higher-frequency words or low-frequency words-that is, the homophone errors were either the subordinate or dominant member of the pair. Participants read sentences as their eye movements were tracked. When the high-frequency homophone error words were the subordinate member of the homophone pair, participants had shorter immediate eye-fixation latencies on these words than on matched spelling-control words. In contrast, when the high-frequency homophone error words were the dominant member of the homophone pair, a difference between these words and spelling controls was delayed. These findings provide clear evidence that the meanings of high-frequency words are activated by phonological representations when skilled readers read sentences for meaning. Explanations of the differing patterns of results depending on homophone dominance are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5C2. djjared@uwo.ca.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jared
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5C2.
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053483:Eye Movement Measurements; D006801:Humans; D010700:Phonetics; D011578:Psycholinguistics; D011932:Reading; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Eye tracking; High-frequency words; Homophones; Phonology; Reading