EVIDENCE FOR ASSEMBLED PHONOLOGY IN BEGINNING AND FLUENT READERS AS ASSESSED WITH THE FIRST-LETTER-NAMING TASK

This study was aimed at clarifying word recognition in beginning (88 months) and fluent readers (university students). The major goal was to investigate the differences and similarities in word recognition of the two groups by using the first-letter-naming task as employed by Rossmeissl and Theios (1982). In three experiments, the factors affecting performance in this task were determined. Pronounceability appears to be the most important factor operative in the first-letter-naming task. The data also suggest that the effects obtained are due to response competition. Furthermore, the data indicate that the similarities in word recognition by fluent and beginning readers far surpass the differences and, more importantly, that word recognition of both fluent and beginning readers is mediated by phonology. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.