Chapter 11

What factors challenge the perception of words?

(a)  

What is the following describing?

The frequency with which a word appears in a language

• Word frequency

• Variability in pronunciation

• Speech segmentation

• Word meaning

• Visual cues

What is the following describing?

Someone speaks to you in an accent

• Word frequency

• Variability in pronunciation

• Speech segmentation

• Word meaning

• Visual cues

What is the following describing?

• The tendency to be able to tell when words start and end in spoken language despite there being no actual pauses between words

• Word frequency

• Variability in pronunciation

• Speech segmentation

• Word meaning

• Visual cues

What is the following describing?

When words have more than one meaning

• Word frequency

• Variability in pronunciation

• Speech segmentation

• Word meaning

• Lexical ambiguity

What is the following describing?

When words have more than one meaning

(a)  

Explains how the meaning of words can be a factor in perceiving words. Give an example.

Answer explanation

Lexical ambiguity: When there is more than one meaning for a word.

Experiment: Participants were in the noun-noun condition were they were presented with the word rose as a noun and with a probe word flower. In the other condition the verb-non condition they saw the rose as in the context of a verb and the probe word: cook. Participants reaction for both was fast. Both meaning are activated until context is established.

What is the following describing?

Relative frequency of the meanings of ambiguous words is described.

(a)  

What is the following describing?

When words have two or more meanings, and one meaning is more likely

(a)  

What is the following describing?

When words have two or more meanings, and all meanings are equally likely

(a)