ORTHOGRAPHIC ONSETS AS FUNCTIONAL UNITS OF ADULT WORD RECOGNITION

Five experiments are described. Experiments 1 to 3 used a case-change methodology to test the hypothesis that orthographic onsets serve as u nits of visual word recognition. It was assumed that presenting words in mixed case would disrupt processing more strongly when the case cha nge occurred within a subunit of word recognition than when the case c hange occurred between subunits of word recognition. The orthographic onset hypothesis was supported in two of three experiments. The sensit ivity of the case-change methodology as a means of testing the orthogr aphic onset hypothesis was examined in two further experiments using c ase change to disrupt orthographic rimes. Again, mixed results were ob served. Given the abundance of evidence that, for skilled readers, ort hographic rimes serve as functional units of print and independent arg uments that the case-change methodology represents an inherently conse rvative test of hypotheses concerning multiletter units of print, the current results provide preliminary evidence for the orthographic onse t as a functional unit of print.