Frequency effects in auditory word recognition: The case of suffixed words

This research studied the role of surface and cumulative word frequency in the processing and representation of morphologically complex suffixed words . Experiment 1 showed that auditory lexical decision times to suffixed word s were influenced by their surface frequency. Experiments 2 and 3 showed a cumulative root frequency effect for high- and low-surface-frequency suffix ed words. Experiment 4 demonstrated that lexical decision times for these w ords varied as a function of their position in their morphological family. These results support a view whereby suffixed words belonging to a given mo rphological family share the same lexical entry. Within a lexical entry, su ffixed words belonging to the same family are organized on the basis of the ir surface frequency and compete with one another, (C) 1999 Academic Press.