When pseudowords become words - Effects of learning on orthographic similarity priming

This paper investigates empirical predictions of a connectionist model of word learning. The model predicts that, although the mapping between word form and meaning is arbitrary (thus rendering words as being symbols in the semiotic sense), novel pseudowords will be able to prime the concepts corresponding to word forms that are orthographically similar. If, however, pseudowords acquire meaning through an arbitrary mapping, this priming should be reduced. Two experiments support this hypothesis. Pseudowords, derived from and thus orthographically similar to English words, primed a categorization task involving those similar words. After a subsequent learning phase, in which subjects are asked to learn meanings for the pseudowords, this priming disappears. This interplay between iconic and symbolic use of words is proposed to emerge from connectionist learning procedures.