Abstract
Subjects were given a simplified proofreading task in which they were instructed to circle every occurrence of a target letter in a prose passage or in a scrambled prose passage. It was found that the presence of a prose context enhanced the subjects ability to find a target letter when the target letter was in a content word, but impaired the subjects ability to find a target letter when it was in a function word. This interaction sheds light on a number of conflicting reports in the literature.
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This paper is based on a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the PhD degree at the University of Massachusetts.
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Schindler, R.M. The effect of prose context on visual search for letters. Memory & Cognition 6, 124–130 (1978). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197437
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197437