RT Journal Article
T1 What do pseudowords tell us about word processing? An overview
A1 Martínez Tomás, Celia
A1 Baciero De Lama, Ana
A1 Lázaro López-Villaseñor, Miguel
A1 Hinojosa Poveda, José Antonio
AB This article provides an overview of the use of pseudowords—letter strings that resemble real words by adhering to phonotactic and orthotactic rules (e. g., fambo follows the rules of English phonology and orthography, but it does not have an actual meaning)—in written word processing research, with a focus on readers in alphabetic languages. We review how pseudowords have been used in research to isolate specific features of words to examine the cognitive mechanisms underlying various aspects of their processing, including orthographic, phonological decoding, lexical-semantic, and syntactic components, as well as to the way those empirical observations have shaped theories and models of word recognition. The overview also considers their broader applications, such as in studying non-alphabetic scripts, speech processing, and language disorders like dyslexia. By providing a focused synthesis of empirical findings, this article underscores the critical insights that research using pseudowords offers into the interconnected nature of cognitive mechanisms in language processing.
PB Frontiers
YR 2025
FD 2025-01-05
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118137
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118137
LA eng
NO Martínez-Tomás C, Baciero A, Lázaro M and Hinojosa JA (2025) What do pseudowords tell us about word processing? An overview. Front. Lang. Sci. 4:1504770. doi: 10.3389/flang.2025.1504770
NO Generalitat Valenciana
NO Comisión Europea
DS Docta Complutense
RD 12 abr 2025