On the dominance of whole-word knowledge in reading aloud

The localist dual-route model of visual word recognition assumes a routine that addresses the pronunciation of all words known to the reader (the lexi cal-semantic pathway) and another routine, operating in parallel, that asse mbles pronunciations on the basis of sublexical spelling-sound corresponden ces. The present experiment exploits the exception effect (in which words t hat are atypical in terms of their spelling-sound correspondences are named more slowly than typical ones) because it is considered a marker of the jo int operation of these two routines. Participants named high- and low-frequ ency regular and exception words that were repeated across two blocks of tr ials. The widely reported interaction between regularity and word frequency is present in Block 1 but is reduced in magnitude in Block 2. DRC, an impl emented dual-route model, simulates the data. Taken in conjunction with oth er reports, the results provide further evidence for a double dissociation between addressed and assembled routines and are consistent with the view t hat skill in recognizing printed words known to the reader reflects the dom inance of orthographic over phonological processing.