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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Do handwritten words magnify lexical effects in visual word recognition?

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Published online: 27 Oct 2015 An examination of how the word recognition system is able to process handwritten words is fundamental to formulate a comprehensive model of visual word recognition. Previous research has revealed that the magnitude of lexical effects (e.g., the word-frequency effect) is greater with handwritten words than with printed words. In the present lexical decision experiments, we examined whether the quality of handwritten words moderates the recruitment of top-down feedback, as reflected in word-frequency effects. Results showed a reading cost for difficult-to-read and easy-to-read handwritten words relative to printed words. But the critical finding was that difficult-to-read handwritten words, but not easy-to-read handwritten words, showed a greater word-frequency effect than printed words. Therefore, the inherent physical variability of handwritten words does not necessarily boost the magnitude of lexical effects. This research has been partially supported by the Spanish Government [grant number PSI2014–53444-P], [grant number PSI2012-31448] and by the European Research Council [grant number ERC-2011-ADG-295362].