Word Frequency Affects Hypermnesia

1996 ◽  
Vol 79 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1379-1382
Author(s):  
Katherine M. Macie ◽  
Janet D. Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Recall Test ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Free Recall Test ◽  
High Frequency Words

Hypermnesia, the tendency of participants to recall more items from a list they have studied when they are asked to recall the list several times on a free-recall test, is enhanced by factors that lead to better performance on free-recall tests. This study tested the hypothesis that words which appear with high frequency in the English language would produce hypermnesia but that low frequency words would not. The activity the 57 participants were required to do between repeated recall tests was also manipulated but had no effect on the number of words recalled. High frequency words resulted in hypermnesia but low frequency words did not.

Continued Word Associations and Free Recall

1966 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. A. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Word Associations ◽  
Word Lists ◽  
Degree Of Association ◽  
High Frequency Words

Two experiments on the short-term free recall of 12-word associated and non-associated lists are reported. Degree of association (derived from norms obtained by continuous controlled association) and word frequency were varied. Significant facilitation as a result of the associative manipulations was obtained and clustering of the responses was positively related to this. Clustering was also affected by the method of presentation of the associated words; this occurred more often when they were grouped in presentation than when they were presented randomly arranged among other words in the list. Low frequency associated word lists were generally found to be more efficiently recalled than those of comparable association values but consisting of high frequency words.

Experience Matters

2020 ◽  
Vol 228 (4) ◽  
pp. 254-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro S. Mendes ◽  
Karlos Luna ◽  
Pedro B. Albuquerque
Keyword(s):  
Word Frequency ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Recall Test ◽  
Judgments Of Learning ◽  
Direct Experience ◽  
Frequency Effects ◽  
Actual Frequency ◽  
Actual Word ◽  
High Frequency Words

Abstract. The present study tested if word frequency effects on judgments of learning (JOLs) are exclusively due to beliefs or if the direct experience with the items also plays a role. Across four experiments, participants read prompts about the frequency of the words (high/low), which could be congruent/incongruent with the words’ actual frequency. They made pre-study JOLs (except Experiment 1b), immediate JOLs, and completed a recall test. If experience drives the effect, JOLs should be based on actual word frequency rather than the prompts. Results showed higher pre-study JOLs for prompts of high frequency, but higher immediate JOLs for high-frequency words regardless of the prompt, suggesting an effect of direct experience with the words. In Experiments 2 and 3, we manipulated participants’ beliefs, finding a small effect of beliefs on JOLs. We conclude that, regarding word frequency, direct experience with the items seems more relevant than beliefs when making immediate JOLs.

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Word Frequency and Rime-Neighborhood Size on Beginning Readers' Rime Reading Accuracy in Words and Nonwords

2002 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Anne Calhoon ◽  
Lauren Leslie
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Beginning Readers ◽  
Developmental Model ◽  
Neighborhood Size ◽  
Reading Accuracy ◽  
High Frequency Words

Beginning readers' rime reading accuracy was assessed over three years to examine the influence of word frequency and rime-neighborhood size (the number of single syllable words with the same rime) on words presented in lists and stories. Twenty-seven 1st- and 2nd- grade students read 54 words and 27 nonwords containing rimes from different size neighborhoods. In Year 1, children showed effects of neighborhood size in high frequency words read in stories and in low frequency words read in lists and stories. In Year 2, rimes from large neighborhoods were read more accurately than rimes from medium and small neighborhoods in high- and low-frequency words. In Year 3, no effects of rime-neighborhood size were found for high-frequency words, but effects on low-frequency words continued. These results support Leslie and Calhoon's (1995) developmental model of the effects of rime-neighborhood size and word frequency as a function of higher levels of word learning.

EXPRESS: On the Pervasive Effect of Word Frequency in Metamemory

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110533
Author(s):  
Pedro Simão Mendes ◽  
Monika Undorf
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
Recall Test ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Judgments Of Learning ◽  
Free Recall Test ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Performance Judgments

Predictions of one’s future memory performance – judgments of learning (JOLs) – are based on the cues that learners regard as diagnostic of memory performance. One of these cues is word frequency or how often words are experienced in the language. It is not clear, however, whether word frequency would affect JOLs when other cues are also available. The current study aims to close this gap by testing whether objective and subjective word frequency affect JOLs in the presence of font size as an additional cue. Across three experiments, participants studied words that varied in word frequency (Experiment 1: high and low objective frequency; Experiment 2: a whole continuum from high to low objective frequency; Experiment 3: high and low subjective and objective frequency) and were presented in a large (48pt) or a small (18pt) font size, made JOLs, and completed a free recall test. Results showed that people based their JOLs on both word frequency and font size. We conclude that word frequency is an important cue that affects metamemory even in multiple-cue situations.

Word frequency does not moderate the degree to which people can selectively attend to parts of visually presented words

2020 ◽  
pp. 174702182096906
Author(s):  
Todd A Kahan ◽  
Louisa M Slowiaczek ◽  
Ned Scott ◽  
Brian T Pfohl
Keyword(s):  
Word Frequency ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Congruency Effect ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Test Word ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Bigram Frequency ◽  
Capacity Model ◽  
Entire Word ◽  
High Frequency Words

Whether attention is allocated to an entire word or can be confined to part of a word was examined in an experiment using a visual composite task. Participants saw a study word, a cue to attend to either the right or left half, and a test word, and indicated if the cued half of the words (e.g., left) was the same (e.g., TOLD-TONE) or different (e.g., TOLD-WINE). Prior research using this task reports a larger congruency effect for low-frequency words relative to high-frequency words but extraneous variables were not equated. In this study ( N = 33), lexical (orthographic neighbourhood density) and sublexical (bigram frequency) variables were controlled, and word frequency was manipulated. Results indicate that word frequency does not moderate the degree to which parts of a word can be selectively attended/ignored. Response times to high-frequency words were faster than response times to low-frequency words but the congruency effect was equivalent. The data support a capacity model where attention is equally distributed across low-frequency and high-frequency words but low-frequency words require additional processing resources.

scholarly journals The Word Frequency Effect in Word Processing: An Updated Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Brysbaert ◽  
Paweł Mandera ◽  
Emmanuel Keuleers
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Word Processing ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Frequency Effect ◽  
Word Frequency Effect ◽  
Frequency Measure ◽  
Language Exposure ◽  
High Frequency Words

The word frequency effect refers to the observation that high-frequency words are processed more efficiently than low-frequency words. Although the effect was first described over 80 years ago, in recent years it has been investigated in more detail. It has become clear that considerable quality differences exist between frequency estimates and that we need a new standardized frequency measure that does not mislead users. Research also points to consistent individual differences in the word frequency effect, meaning that the effect will be present at different word frequency ranges for people with different degrees of language exposure. Finally, a few ongoing developments point to the importance of semantic diversity rather than mere differences in the number of times words have been encountered and to the importance of taking into account word prevalence in addition to word frequency.

Frequency Effects on Spelling Error Recognition: An ERP Study

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Larionova ◽  
Olga Martynova
Keyword(s):  
Word Frequency ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Word Processing ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Spelling Error ◽  
Spelling Errors ◽  
Error Recognition ◽  
High Frequency Words

Spelling errors are ubiquitous in all writing systems. Most studies exploring spelling errors focused on the phonological plausibility of errors. However, unlike typical pseudohomophones, spelling errors occur in naturally produced written language with variable frequencies. We investigated the time course of recognition of the most frequent orthographic errors in Russian (error in an unstressed vowel at the root) and the effect of word frequency on this process. During ERP recording, 26 native Russian speakers silently read high-frequency correctly spelled words, low-frequency correctly spelled words, high-frequency words with errors, and low-frequency words with errors. The amplitude of P200 was more positive for correctly spelled words than for misspelled words and did not depend on the frequency of the words. Word frequency affected spelling recognition in the later stages of word processing (350-700 ms): high-frequency misspelled words elicited a greater P300 than high-frequency correctly spelled words, and low-frequency misspelled words elicited a greater N400 than low-frequency correctly spelled words. We observe spelling effects in the same time window for both the P300 and N400, which may reflect temporal overlap between mainly categorization processes based on orthographic properties for high-frequency words and phonological processes for low-frequency words. We concluded that two independent pathways can be active simultaneously during spelling recognition: one reflects mainly orthographic processing of high-frequency words and the other is the phonological processing of low-frequency words. Our findings suggest that these pathways are associated with different ERP components. Therefore, our results complement existing reading models and demonstrate that the neuronal underpinnings of spelling error recognition during reading depend on word frequency.

A similarity in word-recognition procedures among second language readers with different first language backgrounds

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
NOBUHIKO AKAMATSU
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
First Language ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
High Frequency Words ◽  
Second Language Readers

This study investigated word recognition among fluent readers of English as a second language (ESL). Specifically, the study examined whether ESL readers' first language (L1) affects the procedures underlying second language word recognition, with respect to the effects of word frequency and regularity on word recognition. The results revealed a similarity in word-recognition procedures between fluent ESL readers with various L1 backgrounds (i.e., Chinese, Japanese, and Persian). In processing high-frequency words, all the ESL groups recognized exception words as quickly as regular words; low-frequency exception words, on the contrary, took longer to recognize than low-frequency regular words.

scholarly journals Sõna esinemissagedus ja tähenduste eristamise vajadus häälduse mõjutajana

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-88
Author(s):  
Mari-Liis Kalvik ◽  
Liisi Piits
Keyword(s):  
Word Frequency ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Reading Task ◽  
Monosyllabic Words ◽  
Reading Experiment ◽  
High Frequency Words

Artikkel käsitleb kaht eesti keeles varieeruvat nähtust: h hääldamist sõna alguses ning i-tüveliste (C)VVC-struktuuriga sõnade lõpukonsonantide palatalisatsiooni. Mõlema nähtuse puhul uuritakse, milline on sõna esinemissageduse ning tähenduste eristamise vajaduse mõju hääldusele. Uurimismaterjaliks on 42 h-algulist sõna ja 30 pika vokaaliga ühesilbilist i-tüvelist sõna, mis on keelejuhtide poolt ette loetud. 94 keele juhi 3945 hääldusjuhu uurimine andis tulemuseks, et a) h väljahääldamine oli valdav (92% juhtudest); b) suurema esinemissagedusega sõnades oli sõnaalguline h enamasti lühem ja see jäeti välja hääldamata sagedamini kui väiksema esinemis sagedusega sõnades; c) esines tendents, et sõnades, kus h-l on tähendust eristav ülesanne, oli h veidi sagedamini ja veidi pikemalt välja hääldatud. 40 keelejuhi 1280 hääldusjuhu analüüs näitas, et a) väiksema esinemissagedusega sõnu ei palataliseeritud märgatavalt vähem kui suurema esinemissagedusega sõnu ning b) sõnu, kus palatalisatsiooni esinemine eristab tähendusi, palataliseeriti rohkem. Abstract. Mari-Liis Kalvik and Liisi Piits: Word frequency and a meaning-distinguishing function of a phoneme as a reason for variation. The article investigates the variation of word-initial /h/ and palatalization in i-stemmed monosyllabic words with a (C)VVC structure. Two possible causes of the variation were examined: word frequency and meaning-distinguishing function of a phoneme. Material was collected by means of a reading task. The text consisted of words with both the word-initial /h/ and palatalized consonants. Altogether, 5225 pronunciations were analysed. The results show that: a) in 92% of occasions the word-initial /h/ was pronounced; b) in high frequency words, the word initial /h/ was shorter or absent more often than in low frequency words; c) the word-initial /h/ in a meaning-distinguishing position tended to be more often pronounced and to be longer; d) consonant palatalization in i-stemmed words with a (C)VVC structure did not depend significantly on word frequency; and e) in the words where palatalization had a meaning- distinguishing function, the palatalized consonant was slightly longer than in the words where the function did not exist. Keywords: Estonian, word-initial /h/, palatalization, reading experiment, word frequency, meaning-distinguishing function, duration

scholarly journals The item/order account of word frequency effects: Evidence from serial order tests

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Neath ◽  
Philip T. Quinlan
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Serial Order ◽  
Order Effect ◽  
Frequency Effect ◽  
Order Information ◽  
Item Order ◽  
High Frequency Words

AbstractAccording to the item/order hypothesis, high-frequency words are processed more efficiently and therefore order information can be readily encoded. In contrast, low-frequency words are processed less efficiently and the focus on item-specific processing compromises order information. Most experiments testing this account use free recall, which has led to two problems: First, the role of order information is difficult to evaluate in free recall, and second, the data from free recall show all three possible patterns of results: memory for high-frequency words can be better than, the same as, or worse than that for low-frequency words. A series of experiments tested the item/order hypothesis using tests where the role of order information is less ambiguous. The item/order hypothesis predicts better performance for high- than low-frequency words when pure lists are used in both immediate serial recall (ISR) and serial reconstruction of order (SRO) tests. In contrast, when mixed (alternating) lists are used, it predicts better performance for low- than for high-frequency words with ISR tests, but equivalent performance with SRO tests. The experiments generally confirm these predictions, with the notable exception of a block order effect in SRO tasks: When a block of low-frequency lists preceded a block of high-frequency lists, a high-frequency advantage was observed but when a block of high-frequency lists preceded a block of low-frequency lists, no frequency effect was observed. A final experiment provides evidence that this block order effect is due to metacognitive factors.

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