Conditional root uniqueness points: Psychological validity and perceptual consequences

Wurm (1997) introduced a construct called the Conditional Root Uniqueness P oint (CRUP). which was defined as the uniqueness point of the free root of a prefixed word, given the prefix in question. Prefixed words with free roo ts can be divided into two mutually exclusive categories: those with the CR UP at the same phoneme as the full-form uniqueness point (UP). and those wh ere the CRUP precedes the full-form UP by one or more phonemes. Results of two reaction-rime experiments indicate a substantial processing advantage f or the latter group of words. Regression analyses revealed effects of the n umber of auditory competitors a target word had. semantic transparency and prefix likelihood. Finally. semantic transparency, root frequency, and numb er of competitors had different effects, depending upon whether the CRUP of a word coincided with or preceded the full-form UP. Existing models of wor d recognition need to be modified to accommodate the current results. c 200 1 Academic Press.