Abstract
The present study examined individual differences in the automaticity of visual word recognition. Specifically, we examined whether people can recognize words while central attention is devoted to another task and how this ability depends on reading skill. A lexical-decision Task 2 was combined with either an auditory or visual Task 1. Regardless of the Task 1 modality, Task 2 word recognition proceeded in parallel with Task 1 central operations for individuals with high Nelson-Denny reading scores, but not for individuals with low reading scores. We conclude that greater lexical skill leads to greater automaticity, allowing better readers to more efficiently perform lexical processes in parallel with other attention-demanding tasks.
References
Allen, P. A., Lien, M.-C., Murphy, M. D., Sanders, R. E., Judge, K. S., & McCann, R. S. (2002). Age differences in overlappingtask performance: Evidence for efficient parallel processing in older adults. Psychology & Aging, 17, 505–519.
Brown, J. I., Fishco, V. V., & Hanna, G. S. (1993). Nelson-Denny Reading Test. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing.
Cleland, A. A., Gaskell, M. G., Quinlan, P. T., & Tamminen, J. (2006). Frequency effects in spoken and visual word recognition: Evidence from dual-task methodologies. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 32, 104–119.
Johnston, J. C., McCann, R. S., & Remington, R. W. (1995). Chronometric evidence for two types of attention. Psychological Science, 6, 365–369.
Lachter, J., Forster, K. I., & Ruthruff, E. (2004). Forty-five years after Broadbent (1958): Still no identification without attention. Psychological Review, 111, 880–913.
Lien, M.-C., Allen, P. A., Ruthruff, E., Grabbe, J., McCann, R. S., & Remington, R. W. (2006). Visual word recognition without central attention: Evidence for greater automaticity with advancing age. Psychology & Aging, 21, 431–447.
Lien, M.-C., & Proctor, R. W. (2002). Stimulus-response compatibility and psychological refractory period effects: Implications for response selection. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9, 212–238.
Lien, M.-C., Ruthruff, E., Cornett, L., Goodin, Z., & Allen, P. A. (in press). On the nonautomaticity of visual word processing: Electrophysiological evidence that word identification requires central attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance.
Lien, M.-C., Ruthruff, E., & Johnston, J. C. (2006). Attentional limitations in doing two tasks at once: The search for exceptions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15, 89–93.
MacLeod, C. M. (1991). Half a century of research on the Stroop effect: An integrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 109, 163–203.
McCann, R. S., Remington, R. W., & Van Selst, M. (2000). A dualtask investigation of automaticity in visual word processing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 26, 1352–1370.
Meyer, D. E., & Kieras, D. E. (1997). A computational theory of executive cognitive processes and multiple-task performance: Part 2. Accounts of psychological refractory-period phenomena. Psychological Review, 104, 749–791.
Pashler, H. (1994). Dual-task interference in simple tasks: Data and theory. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 220–244.
Pashler, H., & Johnston, J. C. (1989). Chronometric evidence for central postponement in temporally overlapping tasks. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 41A, 19–45.
Reynolds, M., & Besner, D. (2006). Reading aloud is not automatic: Processing capacity is required to generate a phonological code from print. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 32, 1303–1323.
Schneider, W., Eschman, A., & Zuccolotto, A. (2002). E-Prime reference guide. Pittsburgh, PA: Psychology Software Tools.
Schweickert, R. (1978). A critical path generalization of the additive factor method: Analysis of a Stroop task. Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 18, 105–139.
Stolz, J. A., & Stevanovski, B. (2004). Interactive activation in visual word recognition: Constraints imposed by the joint effects of spatial attention and semantics. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 30, 1064–1076.
Tombu, M., & Jolicoeur, P. (2003). A central capacity sharing model of dual-task performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 29, 3–18.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ruthruff, E., Allen, P.A., Lien, MC. et al. Visual word recognition without central attention: Evidence for greater automaticity with greater reading ability. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 15, 337–343 (2008). https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.15.2.337
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.15.2.337