Three experiments used the differential frequency effect as a diagnostic tool to investigate the mental representation of disyllabic compound words in Mandarin Chinese. The results indicated that, when both word frequency and morpheme frequency were held constant, high-frequency first syllables slowed responses to real words. (41 references) (MDM)

This commentary on a research study by Santiago et al. (2000) suggests that a reanalysis of the data that takes word length into account leads to a conclusion that is the opposite of what the study found. (Author/VWL)

Responds to a commentary written in response a research study conducted by the author (Santiago et al., 2000) that suggests that a reanalysis of the data on syllable structure effects that takes word length into account leads to a conclusion that is the opposite of what the study found. (Author/VWL)

A series of monitoring studies is reported, in replication of the cross-language research of Cutler, Mehler, Norris, and Segui, which found evidence of language-specific perceptual routines. It is suggested that factors outside the perceptual system may affect responses and that the case for language specificity in perceptual routines has not been…