PERCEPTUAL VERSUS POSTPERCEPTUAL MEDIATION OF VISUAL CONTEXT EFFECTS - EVIDENCE FROM THE LETTER-SUPERIORITY EFFECT

Two experiments demonstrated letter-context effects that cannot easily be accounted for by postperceptual theories based on structural redun dancy, figural goodness, or memory advantage. In Experiment 1, subject s identified the color of a letter fragment more accurately in letter than in nonletter contexts. In Experiment 2, subjects identified the f eature presented in a precued color more accurately in letters than in nonletters. We argue that these effects result from top-down perceptu al processing.