The Effect of Mixed Font Items on Lexical Decision Performance

The multistream model of word perception (Allen, Smith, Lien, Kaut, & Canfield, 2009) suggests that word identification generally involves whole-word information, but that when the orthographic form of a letter string is not standard, processing occurs analytically and is slower. For example, within-item case transitions slow responses in lexical decision experiments, in which participants are required to decide if a letter string is or is not a word; a within-item font transition may have a similar effect. Letters within a font are distinct yet related, and are constrained on several parameters to facilitate processing (Sanocki & Dyson, 2012). Font tuning allows design commonalties to be utilized by the perceptual system when processing subsequent items, and changes in font slow processing because the translation rules cannot be carried over (Walker, 2008). We conducted two experiments to investigate the effect of font variation on lexical decision performance. Experiment 1 addressed whether between-item font variation interferes with judgments of lexicality. Planned contrasts showed a marginal difference in response times between pure-font and intermixed-font blocks (t(1, 23)= 1.45, p= 0.07). Although the results do not pose a strong challenge to the idea that decisions on lexicality are not interfered with by random trial-to-trial variation in font, response times in intermixed font blocks tended to be slower than responses in pure font blocks. Experiment 2 investigated the effect of within-item font transition on lexical decision performance. The significant main effect of font homogeneity (t(1, 23)= 1.76, p= 0.04) showed that responses to heterogeneous font items were slower than responses to homogeneous font items. The results of Experiment 2 supported the hypothesis that a within-item font transition slows lexical decision performance

The Effect of Mixed Font Items on Lexical Decision Performance

The multistream model of word perception (Allen, Smith, Lien, Kaut, & Canfield, 2009) suggests that word identification generally involves whole-word information, but that when the orthographic form of a letter string is not standard, processing occurs analytically and is slower. For example, within-item case transitions slow responses in lexical decision experiments, in which participants are required to decide if a letter string is or is not a word; a within-item font transition may have a similar effect. Letters within a font are distinct yet related, and are constrained on several parameters to facilitate processing (Sanocki & Dyson, 2012). Font tuning allows design commonalties to be utilized by the perceptual system when processing subsequent items, and changes in font slow processing because the translation rules cannot be carried over (Walker, 2008). We conducted two experiments to investigate the effect of font variation on lexical decision performance. Experiment 1 addressed whether between-item font variation interferes with judgments of lexicality. Planned contrasts showed a marginal difference in response times between pure-font and intermixed-font blocks (t(1, 23)= 1.45, p= 0.07). Although the results do not pose a strong challenge to the idea that decisions on lexicality are not interfered with by random trial-to-trial variation in font, response times in intermixed font blocks tended to be slower than responses in pure font blocks. Experiment 2 investigated the effect of within-item font transition on lexical decision performance. The significant main effect of font homogeneity (t(1, 23)= 1.76, p= 0.04) showed that responses to heterogeneous font items were slower than responses to homogeneous font items. The results of Experiment 2 supported the hypothesis that a within-item font transition slows lexical decision performance

Attachment to God as a Function of Mortality Salience and Intrinsic Religiosity

The present study examined the association between intrinsic religiosity and attachment to God following mortality salience. Participants (N = 158) consisted of Christian individuals who were asked to complete the Religious Orientation Scale (Allport & Ross, 1967) as a measure of intrinsic religiosity, a word search puzzle to prime either death-related or neutral words, and the Attachment to God Inventory (Beck & McDonald, 2004). A moderated regression found a significant interaction between MS and intrinsic religiosity on avoidant but not anxious attachment to God. Specifically, following reminders of death, low intrinsic individuals were more avoidant toward God compared to high intrinsic individuals. These findings suggest that MS is associated with bolstering religious beliefs in order to cope with existential anxieties