The role of phonology in the activation of word meanings during reading: Evidence from proofreading and eye movements

Six experiments explored the role of phonology in the activation of word me anings when words were embedded in meaningful texts. Specifically, the stud ies examined whether participants detected the substitution of a homophone mate for a contextually appropriate homophone. The frequency of the incorre ct homophone, the frequency of the correct homophone, and the predictabilit y of the correct homophone were manipulated. Also, the impact of reading sk ill was examined. When correct homophones were not predictable and particip ants had a range of reading abilities, the evidence indicated that phonolog y plays a role in activating the meanings of low-frequency words only. When the performance of good and poor readers was examined separately, the evid ence indicated that good readers primarily activate the meanings of words u sing the direct route, whereas poor readers primarily activate the meanings of words using the phonological route.