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Spatio-Temporal Integration in Reading Tachistoscopically Presented Words USPHS

Author(s):
Hurtig, Richard R.; Reinvang, Ivar
Publication Year:
1976
Report Number:
RB-76-11
Source:
ETS Research Bulletin
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
14
Subject/Key Words:
Norwegian Council for Research in the Humanities, United States Public Health Service (USPHS), Cognitive Processes, Memory, Verbal Stimuli, Word Recognition

Abstract

It has been suggested that there is a visual encoding of a verbal stimulus which outlasts the duration of the icon. An attempt is made to determine what the characteristics of such an encoded representation are. The present experiment attempts to demonstrate that spatio-temporal information is utilized in the encoding processes necessary for word recognition. The letters of words are presented over successive tachistoscopic exposures which subjects are instructed to either integrate in terms of the temporal order of input or in terms of the spatial location. The central finding indicates that word recognition latencies are significantly elevated by the existence of an interpretation of the stimulus resulting from integration of the uninstructed form. The findings offer a demonstration of a stable memory matrix capable of representing alphabetic characters in terms of identity as well as spatial locus and temporal order of input. (14pp.)

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