Letter identification in four-letter words, four-letter nonwords, and single-letter displays was tested using a two-alternative, forced-choice procedure. The nonwords were constructed to be pronounceable and orthographically regular. All displays were tachistoscopically presented without pre-or post exposure masking fields. The mean proportions of correct choices were .749 for letters, .735 for words, and .671 for nonwords, with the latter proportion being significantly smaller than those for the other conditions. The relatively high performance for letters was attributed to the absence of masking fields in the present s~u~y, since. masks have ~ee? shown to interfere more with letter processing than word processing in SimIlar studies. The supenorIty of words over regular nonwords was used as evidence to support the hypothesis that the perceptual unit in reading can be at least as large as a four-letter word.
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