Word Superiority Effect Lab
Word Superiority Powerpoint File
Click to run or download. Be sure to run the slideshow, not just view the file in edit mode.
  1. This experiment consists of one sample trial and then 6 test trials. Each trial will begin with a row of Xs. You must press down or right to move to the next screen.
  2. The second screen will VERY briefly display a set of letters then will automatically change to a test screen. The test screen will present two choices. Mentally select the choice which displays the correct placement of the letter. Record your answer and the correct sequence of letters in the trial, then press down or right to advance.
  3. The final screen will display the correct answer. Record your score (correct or not). Be sure to go to through each trial before you finish.
Questions:
  1. Did you have any incorrect trials? What was the set of letters for those trials? Were some sets of letters more difficult to remember than other sets? Why might that be?
  2. How might top-down processing influence performance on this task?
  3. The original studies show that participants were faster at identifying letters in words than letters in isolation or in non-words. This particular lab experiment only compares words to non-words. If the effect had been that participants were slower at identifying letters in words than in non-words, how might this suggest top-down processing works?
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