PHONOLOGICAL PRIMING REFLECTS LEXICAL COMPETITION

A phonological relationship between a prime and a target produces faci litation when one or two initial phonemes are shared (low-similarity f acilitation) but produces interference when more phonemes are shared ( high-similarity interference; Slowiaczek & Hamburger, 1992). Although low-similarity facilitation appears to be a strategic effect (Goldinge r, Luce, Pisoni, & Marcario, 1992), this result cannot generalize to h igh-similarity interference because the two effects are dissociated (S lowiaczek & Hamburger, 1992). In the present study, strategic processi ng in high-similarity interference was investigated. The phonological relatedness proportion (PRP) and the prime-target interstimulus interv al (ISI) were varied in a shadowing experiment. Low-similarity facilit ation was found only with a high PRP and long ISI, but high-similarity interference was found regardless of PRP and ISI. These results sugge st that strategies influence low-similarity facilitation, but high-sim ilarity interference reflects automatic processing.