Specific visual transfer in word identification.

Abstract

Prior presentation of a word can serve to enhance its later perceptual identification. A series of three experiments was designed to determine if this effect of prior experience depends on preserving the visual details of a word between its prior presentation and test. A first experiment revealed evidence of specific visual transfer only for words that were tested in lowercase. Words tested in lowercase that had been previously presented in lowercase were more readily identified than were those that had been previously presented in uppercase. Later experiments used more extreme manipulations of the visual details of a word in an attempt to maximize specific visual transfer. Results of the experiments are discussed in terms of the role of memory for visual details in word identification along with the possibility that perception can rely on memory for prior episodes.

Episodic encoding of voice attributes and recognition memory for spoken words.

“…For example, Jacoby and Hayman (1987) found that prior presentation of a word improved later perceptual identification of that word when specific physical details were retained. The ease with which a stimulus is perceived is often called perceptual fluency and depends on the degree of physical overlap between representations stored at study and stimuli presented at test.…”

“…Over the past several years, Jacoby and his colleagues have argued that perception can rely on memory for prior episodes (Jacoby, 1983a(Jacoby, , 1983bJacoby & Brooks, 1984;Jacoby & Hayman, 1987;Johnston, Dark, & Jacoby, 1985; see also Schacter, 1990). For example, Jacoby and Hayman (1987) found that prior presentation of a word improved later perceptual identification of that word when specific physical details were retained.…”

Echoes of echoes? An episodic theory of lexical access.

“…To observe robust effects, researchers typically need to contrive conditions that deviate from natural language experience. For example, voice and font effects are enhanced when attention is focused on surface attributes during study (Goldinger, 1996;Meehan & Pilotti, 1996) or when particularly salient attributes are used (Jacoby & Hayman, 1987;Kolers, 1976). Surface-specific effects are also most evident when transfer-appropriate processing is applied in test sessions; episodic memory is strongly expressed when study operations are repeated at test (Blaxton, 1989;GraY & Ryan, 1990).…”

“…In many articles, Jacoby ( 1983aJacoby ( , 1983bJacoby & Brooks, 1984;Jacoby & Dallas, 1981;Jacoby & Hayman, 1987;Jacoby & Witherspoon, 1982) has suggested nonanalytic word perception by comparison to stored episodes rather than to abstract nodes (see Feustel, Shiffrin, & Salasoo, 1983;Kirsner, Dunn, & Standen, 1987;Salasoo, Shiffrin, & Feustel, 1985). Although episodic theories of word perception have been frequently suggested, little formal modeling has occurred (except Salasoo et al, 1985).…”

Simulation, Situated Conceptualization, and Prediction

“…(e.g. Jolicoeur 1985;Jacoby & Hayman 1987). Fourth, imagining a stimulus produces repetition priming similar to actually perceiving it, suggesting that perceptual representations underlie both (e.g.…”