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Cited by 460Reading and Literacy DevelopmentNeurobiology of Language and BilingualismPhonetics and Phonology Research

Watching the Word Go by: On the Time‐course of Component Processes in Visual Word Recognition

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Grainger, Jonathan, Holcomb, Phillip J.·2009·Language and Linguistics Compass
DOI 10.1111/j.1749-818x.2008.00121.xPMC PMC2740997
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Abstract

We describe a functional architecture for word recognition that focuses on how orthographic and phonological information cooperates in initial form-based processing of printed word stimuli prior to accessing semantic information. Component processes of orthographic processing and orthography-to-phonology translation are described, and the behavioral evidence in favor of such mechanisms is briefly summarized. Our theoretical framework is then used to interpret the results of a large number of recent experiments that have combined the masked priming paradigm with electrophysiological recordings. These experiments revealed a series of components in the event-related potential (ERP), thought to reflect the cascade of underlying processes involved in the transition from visual feature extraction to semantic activation. We provide a tentative mapping of ERP components onto component processes in the model, hence specifying the relative time-course of these processes and their functional significance.

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  • The dual-route architecture may emerge because visual word recognition mixes a spatial world of visual objects and a temporal world of spoken language.

    “As suggested by Grainger and Holcomb (2009), it is possible that this dual-route architecture emerges from the fact that visual word recognition is a mixture of two worlds: one whose main dimension is space – the world of visual objects; and the other whose main dimension is time – the world of spoken language.”

    From A Dual-Route Approach to Orthographic Processing (2011) · cites this paper as Grainger and Holcomb (2009)

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Authors
Grainger, J., & Holcomb, P. J.
Affiliations
Tufts University (US)
ORCID
Holcomb, Phillip J.
Venue
Language and Linguistics Compass
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2009-01
Volume
3
Issue
1
Pages
128-156
ISSN
1749-818X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1111/j.1749-818x.2008.00121.x
PMC
PMC2740997
OpenAlex
W2037895500
Cited by
460
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 24 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 51 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 29
FWCI
42.17
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 32 d)
Locations
  • Language and Linguistics Compass (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • HAL Portal Artxiker (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (India)) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • New Mexico State University
  • Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-06-BLAN-0337)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD025889, R37HD025889, R01HD043251)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Phonetics and Phonology Research
Keywords
visual word recognition, orthographic processing, phonological processing, masked priming, event-related potentials, ERP components, semantic activation

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