Print exposure modulates the effects of repetition priming during sentence reading

Abstract

Individual readers vary greatly in the quality of their lexical representations, and consequently in how quickly and efficiently they can access orthographic and lexical knowledge. This variability may be explained, at least in part, by individual differences in exposure to printed language, because practice at reading promotes the development of stronger reading skills. In the present eyetracking experiment, we tested the hypothesis that the efficiency of word recognition during reading improves with increases in print exposure, by determining whether the magnitude of the repetition-priming effect is modulated by individual differences in scores on the author recognition test (ART). Lexical repetition of target words was manipulated across pairs of unrelated sentences that were presented on consecutive trials. The magnitude of the repetition effect was modulated by print exposure in early measures of processing, such that the magnitude of the effect was inversely related to scores on the ART. The results showed that low levels of print exposure, and thus lower-quality lexical representations, are associated with high levels of difficulty recognizing words, and thus with the greatest room to benefit from repetition. Furthermore, the interaction between scores on the ART and repetition suggests that print exposure is not simply an index of general reading speed, but rather that higher levels of print exposure are associated with an enhanced ability to access lexical knowledge and recognize words during reading.

Keywords: Eye movements; Reading; Repetition priming; Visual word recognition.

Figure 1

Mean single-fixation duration (a), first-fixation duration (b), and gaze duration (c) for repeated and new targets as a function of Author Recognition Test (ART) group. ART scores are binned in thirds: Low ART includes scores of 10 or less, Mid ART includes scores between 11 and 18, and High ART includes scores of 19 and above. Error bars represent standard error of the mean.