The Role of Lexical Phonology in Reading

Abstract

In this study we examined phonological encoding during reading by investigating whether different types of verbal and nonverbal material and an articulatory suppression task interfered with reading comprehension and with a nonword rhyme judgment task. Neither the presence of an auditory interference task nor the articulatory suppression task had any effect on accuracy of comprehension or on judging if nonwords rhymed. It took longer to read prose passages simultaneously with verbal auditory interference and under conditions of articulatory suppression, but not with simultaneous nonverbal auditory interference. There was a significant difference in reading speed between passages read simultaneously with syntactically and semantically complex verbal material, presented aurally, and passages read while the subject simultaneously performed an articulatory suppression task. We argue that an auditory interference task is more suitable than an articulatory suppression task for investigations of phonological encoding during reading. The results were interpreted within a neuro-cognitive model.