Thompson, Glenn L2013-11-082013-11-0820102010Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-02, Section: B, page: 1185.http://hdl.handle.net/10393/30032http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-20044Existing evidence on the role of the syllable in visual word recognition is insufficient to inform the extention of models of single-syllable word reading to the more general case of multi-syllable words. Open questions include what syllable units are relevant (e.g., Max Onset, Max Coda), when and why are they relevant, and for whom? A common paradigm for addressing this issue is the word-splitting manipulation in visual lexical decision, where a visual boundary is introduced within words; this boundary is either consistent or inconsistent with that specified by a theoretical syllable unit. If an advantage is observed for the consistent condition, then a 'syllable effect' has been obtained. Recent work has focused on identifying variables that moderate the effect of such word-splitting manipulations in an attempt to explain the empirical inconsistency in this literature (Chen & Vaid, 2007; Taft, 2001, 2002). This line of enquiry was pursued in two studies employing the word-splitting paradigm in lexical decision. The first study reports a series of three experiments (N=48 x 3) where a combination of random coefficient analysis and multi-level modeling was used to examine the joint contribution of syllabic complexity, lexical frequency, and the tendency of participants to rely on phonology. The results indicate that participants who are most sensitive to homophone interference tend to prefer the 'phonological' Max Onset syllable with low-frequency words, situating the locus of this effect in lexical phonology. A follow-up study (N=122) using the same analytical technique with a broad set of indicators provides some corroboration of this effect, and additional information suggesting that apparent patterns of syllable preference arise from multiple causes, some of which depend on Print Exposure and/or participant response speed. The results highlight the need to disentangle response speed from other participant characteristics in predicting syllable preference.303 p.enLanguage, Linguistics.Psychology, Cognitive.Thesis