Day 58 of 150 Language Difficulty 4/10
High-frequency words win lexical access by tens of ms
Quick answer
High-frequency words win lexical access by tens of ms. Today's question (Word frequency effect) asks about a finding from Forster, K. I., & Chambers, S. M. in 1973. The correct option is Lexical access — with a recognition advantage of roughly tens of milliseconds — full explanation, primary source, and glossary cross-links below.
Today's question
In lexical-decision tasks, common words like "doctor" are recognised faster than rare words like "asphalt." Forster & Chambers (1973) showed this word-frequency effect operates at the level of:
Reveal the answer and explanation
Correct: B — Lexical access — with a recognition advantage of roughly tens of milliseconds
Forster & Chambers (1973) demonstrated frequency effects in both lexical-decision and naming tasks, supporting the idea that more-frequent words enjoy lower thresholds in the mental lexicon and are accessed faster. The effect is on the order of tens of milliseconds for a tenfold frequency change and is robust across languages, ages, and writing systems. Word-frequency effects underwrite every modern lexical-access model (logogen, interactive-activation, dual-route) and are foundational to reading-research methodology.
About the source
Forster, K. I., & Chambers, S. M. (1973). Lexical access and naming time. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 12(6), 627–635.
Every Cognition Bible question cites a primary source — a paper, book chapter, or monograph that exists, that we can point to on Google Scholar, and whose finding the question accurately summarizes. No fabricated authority strings, no name-drops without paper-level grounding.
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