LIMITS ON PERCEPTUAL ABSTRACTION IN READING - ASYMMETRIC TRANSFER BETWEEN SURFACE FORMS DIFFERING IN TYPICALITY

In 2 experiments and a rating study we examined asymmetric transfer of repetition benefit between two easily readable surface forms. Typed s econd occurrences showed benefit that was similar for words and pseudo words and did not depend on the surface form of the first occurrence. Handwritten second occurrences showed benefit only for words, and bene fit was larger when first occurrences were handwritten than when typed . This pattern, which was unrelated to explicit memory, characterized both naming and lexical decision, and benefit transferred between task s. These results tax current episodic accounts of repetition benefit t hat are based on retrieving perceptual records or conceptual interpret ations, and they tax strongly abstractionist accounts that are based o n extremely general visual analysis. A weakly abstractionist account i s described, which is based on ease of retrieving category prototypes by instances of varying typicality.