Abstract
Language can be encountered in multiple modalities, for example in the written modality while reading, and the spoken modality while listening to someone talking. The first question of this dissertation is: is there an effect of presentation modality on the efficiency with which words are processed? The second question of this dissertation was related to the observation that individuals differ with respect to their language processing abilities and their experience with written language. Do individuals who are more experienced with written language process words more efficiently than individuals who are less experienced with written language? With regard to the first question, Chapters 2 and 3 provided evidence that the speed, but not the accuracy with which known words are recognized is influenced by the modality in which words are presented. Easy, common words were recognized faster in the written compared to the spoken modality. Accuracy was not affected by presentation modality. Interestingly, Chapter 6 showed that recognition of newly learned words was not influenced by presentation modality. Thus, the initial creation of a new lexical representation seems to be unaffected by presentation modality, but when these words are fully integrated in the mental lexicon, presentation modality does affect the speed with which known words are recognized. With regard to the second question of this dissertation, Chapter 2, 3, 4 and 5 showed that individuals who are more experienced with written language are able to process, recognize and produce words more efficiently (i.e., faster and /or more accurately) than less experienced individuals. Chapter 4 also demonstrated that this influence of experience with written language exists independent of individual differences in general cognitive abilities. Taken together, the findings from the present dissertation highlights the extent to which the modality in which we encounter language has an influence on our language processing ability.
