Letter and Word Perception: Orthographic Structure and Visual Processing in Reading

295 Pages·1980·8.2 MB·English

by  Dominic W. Massaro, Glen A. Taylor, Richard L. Venezky, James E. Jastrzembski and Peter A. Lucas (Eds.)

LETTER AND WORD PERCEPTION
ADVANCES
IN
PSYCHOLOGY
4
Editors
G. E. STELMACH
P. A. VROON
NORTH-HOLLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY
AMSTERDAM * NEW YORK * OXFORD
LETTER AND WORD
PERCEPTION
Orthographic Structure and
Visual Processing in Reading
Dominic W. MASSARO
Glen A. TAYLOR
Richard L. VENEZKY
James E. JASTRZEMBSKI
and
Peter A. LUCAS
Wisconsin Research and Development Center
for Individualized Schooling
Universityo f Wisconsin
1980
NORTH-HOLLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY
AMSTERDAM * NEW YORK * OXFORD
Copyright 1980 -The Board of Regentsof the University of Wisconsin System
Copyright is claimed until 1990. Thereafter all portionsof this work covered by this copyright
will be in the public domain. Thiswork was developed under agrant from the National Institute
of Education, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. However, the content does not
necessarily reflect the position or policy of that Agency, and no official endorsement of these
materials should be inferred.
ISBN: 0 444 85493 2
Publishers:
NORTH-HOLLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY
AMSTERDAMoNEW YORK. OXFORD
Sole distributors for the U.S.A. and Canada:
ELSEVIER NORTH-HOLLAND, INC.
5 2 VANDERBILT AVENUE,
NEW YORK, N.Y. 10017
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publieation Data
Main entry under title:
Letter and vord perception.
(Advances in psychology ; 4)
Includes bibliopaphical references and indexes.
1. Reading. 2. Word recognition. 3. English
langupee--Alphabet. 4. Reading, Psychology of.
I. M688az.0, Dominic W. 11. Series: Advauces in
psychology (Amsterdam) 4.
LBlO#O.L47 428.4 80-14350
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
?he greatest tliiry intlie W O r K
as dw ish rni s containelCtlierein- excett
CRESCI i A N D E R S O N
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Preface
...t o c o m p l e t e l y a n a l y z e what w e d o when w e r e a d
would a l m o s t b e t h e acme o f a p s y c h o l o g i s t ' s
a c h i e v e m e n t s , f o r i t would b e t o d e s c r i b e v e r y many
o f t h e most i n t r i c a t e w o r k i n g s o f t h e human mind , a s
w e l l a s t o u n r a v e l t h e t a n g l e d s t o r y o f t h e mos t
r e m a r k a b l e s p e c i f i c p e r f o r m a n c e t h a t c i v i l i z a t i o n h a s
l e a r n e d i n a l l i t s h i s t o r y .
T h e s e words a r e no l e s s a p p r o p r i a t e t o d a y t h a n t h e y were
when Edmund Burke Huey c o n f r o n t e d t h e c h a l l e n g e of
u n d e r s t a n d i n g r e a d i n g i n 1908 . And a l t h o u g h m o s t l i t e r a t e
s o c i e t i e s d e v o t e v a l u a b l e f i n a n c i a l and human r e s o u r c e s t o
u n d e r s t a n d i n g r e a d i n g , i t o f t e n seems a s i f w e a r e no n e a r e r t o
a c h i e v i n g t h i s g o a l . However, some p r o g r e s s i s a p p a r e n t . I t
is g e n e r a l l y a g r e e d t h a t r e a d i n g i n v o l v e s t h e u t i l i z a t i o n of a
v a s t r a n g e o f p e r f o r m a n c e s k i l l s a l o n g w i t h t h e a c t i v e
a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e knowledge r e s o u r c e s o f t h e r e a d e r . The g o a l
f o r t h e r e s e a r c h e r , i s t o d e s c r i b e e a c h o f t h e s k i l l s and t o
e v a l u a t e how knowledge c o n t r i b u t e s t o t h e s k i l l e d p e r f o r m a n c e .
Our r e s e a r c h i n v e s t i g a t e s how knowledge o f t h e o r t h o g r a p h y
( r u l e s o f s p e l l i n g ) is a c t i v e l y engaged i n l e t t e r and word
p e r c e p t i o n o f s k i l l e d r e a d e r s . As m i g h t b e e x p e c t e d , o u r
r e s e a r c h e n t e r p r i s e had i t s s h a r e o f b o t h s u b s t a n t i v e a d v a n c e s
i n o u r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f b a s i c p s y c h o l o g i c a l p r o c e s s e s and
d i s t r a c t i n g g l a n c e s a t some o f t h e m i n d ' s b e w i l d e r i n g
i n c o n s i s t e n c i e s . Our g o a l i n t h i s monograph is t o communica te
b o t h t h e p r o g r e s s and some o f t h e d i s t r a c t i o n t h a t we
vi i
v i i i PREFACE
expe r i e n c e d . Because o f t h e d e t a i l e d p r e s e n t a t i o n s o f v a r i o u s
d e s c r i p t i o n s o f o r t h o g r a p h i c s t r u c t u r e , t h e ex tended s e r i e s o f
e x p e r i m e n t a l s t u d i e s , and t h e f i n e - g r a i n e d a n a l y s e s o f t h e
c o n t r i b u t i o n of many d e s c r i p t i o n s o f o r t h o g r a p h i c s t r u c t u r e ,
piecemeal p u b l i c a t i o n s o f t h i s r e s e a r c h e f f o r t would have been
i n a p p r o p r i a t e . T h i s monograph p r o v i d e s t h e c h a l l e n g e of n o t
o n l y communicating a p r o t r a c t e d r e s e a r c h e n t e r p r i s e b u t a l s o a n
i l l u m i n a t i n g and i n t e r n a l l y - c o n s i s t e n t a c c o u n t o f how r e a d e r s
u t i l i z e knowledge o f o r t h o g r a p h i c s t r u c t u r e i n l e t t e r and word
p e r c e p t i o n . The s u c c e s s o f t h i s work w i l l be e v a l u a t e d by t h e
r e s e a r c h e r , and m u s t s t a n d t h e t e s t o f i t s a p p l i c a b i l i t y t o
reading i n s t r u c t i on.
Given t h e r e l a t i v e l y l a r g e number of new e x p e r i m e n t a l
s t u d i e s t o be r e p o r t e d , w e d e c i d e d t o o m i t t h e unimpor tan t
d e t a i l s o f t h e method, p r o c e d u r e , and r e s u l t s i n t h e a c t u a l
d i s c u s s i o n o f t h e e x p e r i m e n t s i n Chapter 4 . However, s i n c e
t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n is s t i l l of i n t e r e s t t o many p o t e n t i a l r e a d e r s
and r e s e a r c h e r s , i t h a s been p laced i n a p p e n d i c e s a t t h e end of
Chapter 4 . Each e x p e r i m e n t a l s t u d y i s numbered i n Chapter 4
and i t s appendix is g i v e n t h e same number. By p l a c i n g
unnecessary d e t a i l s i n a p p e n d i c e s , i t is e a s i e r t o m a i n t a i n t h e
l o g i c a l c o n t i n u i t y i n t h e p r e s e n t a t i o n of t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l
s t u d i e s . When n e c e s s a r y , t h e r e a d e r can a lways t u r n d i r e c t l y
t o t h e r e l e v a n t appendix f o r a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n .
I n a d d i t i o n , Appendix 5.1 g i v e s t h r e e performance measures
f o r each o f o u r 200 s t i m u l u s i t e m s so t h a t t h e i n t e r e s t e d
i n v e s t i g a t o r c a n t e s t a d d i t i o n a l d e s c r i p t i o n s o f o r t h o g r a p h i c
s t r u c t u r e w i t h t h e s e d a t a . S i n c e s u b l e x i c a l p o s i t i o n - s e n s i t i v e
s i n g l e - l e t t e r and bigram c o u n t s a r e i m p o r t a n t components o f
o r t h o g r a p h i c s t r u c t u r e , Appendix 5 . 2 and 5.3 p r e s e n t n o r m a t i v e
c o u n t s based on a sample o f roughly o n e m i l l i o n words o f
p r i n t e d t e x t . The o n l y c o u n t s c u r r e n t l y a v a i l a b l e i n p r i n t a r e
based on a sample o n l y 2 % a s l a r g e . These c o u n t s s h o u l d be
v a l u a b l e t o r e s e a r c h e r s and e d u c a t o r s i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e
normat ive s t r u c t u r e of Eng 1i s h o r t h o g r a p h y .
The pr imary o b j e c t i v e of t h i s monograph is t h e p r e s e n t -
a t i o n o f our new e m p i r i c a l and t h e o r e t i c a l r e s e a r c h . Because
of s p a c e l i m i t a t i o n s , we were unable t o rev iew much o f t h e
o t h e r r e l e v a n t r e s e a r c h i n l e t t e r and word p e r c e p t i o n . For
rev iews o f t h i s r e s e a r c h , t h e r e a d e r is r e f e r r e d t o A l l p o r t
( 1 9 7 9 ) , Baron ( 1 9 7 8 ) , E s t e s (1977, 1 9 7 8 ) , Gibson and Levin
( 1 9 7 5 ) , Henderson ( 1 9 7 7 ) , Johnson (19771, Krueger ( 1 9 7 5 ) ,
PREFACE ix
Massa ro ( 1 9 7 5 , 1 9 7 8 , 1 9 7 9 b , i n p r e s s ) , and P o l l a t s e k and Carr
( 1 9 7 9 ) .
T h i s r e s e a r c h i s t h e ou tcome o f c o n t r i b u t i o n s o f f i v e
r e l a t i v e l y d i s p a r a t e r e s e a r c h e r s . I n time, t h e need t o
u n d e r s t a n d l e t t e r and word p e r c e p t i o n became t h e d r i v i n g , f o r c e
and o u r o r i g i n a l b i a s e s and b e l i e f s were e v e n t u a l l y m o d i f i e d by
a c t u a l e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n and t h e o r t i c a l tests. I f t h i s
c o n t r i b u t i o n b e n e f i t s r e a d i n g r e s e a r c h h a l f a s much a s i t
b e n e f i t e d e a c h o f t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s f rom t h e c o l l a b o r a t i v e
e f f o r t s , t h e n t h e p r o j e c t c a n b e c o n s i d e r e d t o b e a s u c c e s s .
T h i s r e s e a r c h e f f o r t h a s b e e n s u p p o r t e d by f u n d s from t h e
N a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e o f E d u c a t i o n t o t h e W i s c o n s i n R e s e a r c h and
Development C e n t e r f o r I n d i v i d u a l i z e d S c h o o l i n g , U n i v e r s i t y o f
W i s c o n s i n , Mad i son , W i s c o n s i n 53706 U . S . A . J a c k Wende and Rod
McCoy c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e c o m p u t e r - c o n t r o l l e d
r e s e a r c h f a c i l i t i e s . David K l i t z k e was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r some o f
t h e compute r programming, S u s a n C h i c o n e t e s t e d some o f t h e
s u b j e c t s . J e n n i f e r A r g e l a n d e r e d i t e d and D o r i s King t y p e d t h e
m a n u s c r i p t u s i n g a n o t a l w a y s s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d c o m p u t e r - e d i t i n g
s y s t e m . Bob Cavey d r e w t h e many g r a p h s . Don Ander son
c o n t r i b u t e d t h e ABC p r i n t .