Title
Evaluating cognitive models of visual word recognition using fMRI: Effects of lexical and sublexical variables.
Abstract
In this study predictions of the dual-route cascaded (DRC) model of word reading were tested using fMRI. Specifically, patterns of co-localization were investigated: (a) between pseudoword length effects and a pseudowords vs. fixation contrast, to reveal the sublexical grapho-phonemic conversion (GPC) system; and (b) between word frequency effects and a words vs. pseudowords contrast, to reveal the orthographic and phonological lexicon. Forty four native speakers of Greek were scanned at 3T in an event-related lexical decision task with three event types: (a) 150 words in which frequency, length, bigram and syllable frequency, neighborhood, and orthographic consistency were decorrelated; (b) 150 matched pseudowords; and (c) fixation. Whole-brain analysis failed to reveal the predicted co-localizations. Further analysis with participant-specific regions of interest defined within masks from the group contrasts revealed length effects in left inferior parietal cortex and frequency effects in the left middle temporal gyrus. These findings could be interpreted as partially consistent with the existence of the GPC system and phonological lexicon of the model, respectively. However, there was no evidence in support of an orthographic lexicon, weakening overall support for the model. The results are discussed with respect to the prospect of using neuroimaging in cognitive model evaluation.
Year
DOI
Venue
2016
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.01.013
NeuroImage
Keywords
Field
DocType
Reading,Visual word recognition,Cognitive models,fMRI,Lexical decision,Greek
Word lists by frequency,Lexical decision task,Psychology,Cognitive psychology,Speech recognition,Lexicon,Contrast (statistics),Posterior parietal cortex,Syllable,Bigram,Pseudoword
Journal
Volume
ISSN
Citations 
128
1053-8119
1
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.36
25
10