Evidence that strategy effects in word naming reflect changes in output timing rather than changes in processing route

Four experiments tested whether readers reduce reliance on the phonological route in a pronunciation task when many words with inconsistent spelling-sound correspondences are included. High-frequency inconsistent and consistent words were pronounced faster with inconsistent fillers than with pseudoword fillers, whereas the opposite was true for low-frequency words. These effects of filler type were eliminated in a further experiment that included a manipulation that encouraged participants to adjust their response criterion in some conditions. The results suggest that readers can respond at different paints during the processing of a stimulus, but it does not appear that they can change the extent to which they rely on the phonological route.