Nonstrategic subjective threshold effects in phonemic masking

Three backward-masking experiments demonstrated that the magnitude of the p honemic mask reduction effect (MRE) is a function of subjective threshold a nd that the magnitude is also independent of stimulus-based response strate gies. In all three experiments, a target word (e.g., bake) was backward mas ked by a graphemically similar nonword (e.g., BAWK), a phonemically similar nonword (e.g., BAIK), or an unrelated control (e.g., CRUG). Experiments 1 and 2 had a low percentage (9%) of trials with phonemic masks and differed only in baseline identification rate. Experiment 3 controlled baseline iden tification rate at below and above subjective threshold levels, with 9% pho nemic trials. The results were that identification rates were higher with p honemic masks than with graphemic masks, irrespective of the low percentage of phonemic trials. However, the magnitude of the phonemic MRE became larg e only when the baseline identification rate was below subjective threshold . The pattern of the phonemic MRE was interpreted as a result of rapid auto matic phonological activation, independent of stimulus-based processing str ategies.