Contextual strength and the subordinate bias effect: Comment on Martin, Vu, Kellas, and Metcalf

Martin, Vu, Kellas, and Metcalf(this issue) claim to have demonstrated that the subordinate bias effect (when preceding context instantiates the subor dinate meaning of an ambiguous word that has a highly dominant meaning, rea ding time on that word is lengthened) can be eliminated by strong context. They argue that this provides evidence critical to discriminating between c ompeting models of lexical ambiguity resolution: the reordered access model (in which access of meanings for an ambiguous word is exhaustive but in wh ich the order of access is influenced by prior disambiguating context) and the context-sensitive model (in which access is selective in the presence o f prior disambiguating information). We argue that there are methodological problems with their demonstration, but even if there were not, it is uncle ar that the subordinate bias effect is appropriate for discriminating betwe en competing models of lexical ambiguity resolution (the reordered access m odel and the context-sensitive model). The effect is an empirical finding a nd not a fundamental tenet of the reordered access model.