Orthographic representation and spelling knowledge

Abstract

In two experiments, advanced learners read aloud printed words preceded by masked primes. In Experiment 1, for above-average spellers, correctly spelt primes facilitated identification more than misspelt primes, not only when the target was correctly spelt, but also when the target was misspelt. Despite being the opposite of standard identity and form priming effects, the latter result shows that the prime that produces maximal facilitation is the one that best matches the individual's internal orthographic representation. In Experiment 2, when words had been spelt very confidently, correctly spelt words were preferentially primed by the correct spelling, while words the person had misspelt were preferentially primed by their own misspelling. The latter result cannot be explained by the view that there is a superior representation developed for reading words that is separate from the one developed for spelling. The quality of the single orthographic representation is indexed by spelling knowledge.