Auditory processing of polymorphemic pseudowords

This study compared models of auditory word recognition as they relate to t he processing of polymorphemic pseudowords. Semantic transparency ratings w ere obtained in a preliminary rating study. The effects of morphological st ructure, semantic transparency, prefix likelihood, and morphemic frequency measures were examined in a lexical decision experiment. Reaction times and errors were greater for pseudowords carrying a genuine prefix, and this ef fect was largest for pseudowords that also carried a genuine root. While re sults were grossly similar for bound and free root types, there were also s ome important differences. Regression analyses provided additional support for decompositional models: semantic transparency, prefix likelihood, prefi x frequency, and root frequency all affected pseudoword rejection times. Th e results are most compatible with a modification of Taft's (1994) interact ive-activation model or a dual-route model. (C) 2000 Academic Press.