Visual Salience and Orthographic Word Processing in Reading and Recognition: A Signal Detection Approach

The Cambridge effect describes the ability to recognize words despite alteration or transposition of letters within. In the study we investigate how holistic visual signals, such as overall word form and initial-letter prominence, impact reading accuracy. A sample of 33 postgraduate students took part in a signal detection task with four word-pair conditions: uncoloured transposed, coloured transposed, altered starting, and altered ending. Signal Detection Theory was used to quantify perceptual discrimination by measuring sensitivity (d′) and response bias (c). Results revealed enhanced sensitivity for words with initial-letter changes and a liberal response bias when colour was introduced, whereas end-letter modifications had minimal impact. These results emphasize the importance of word-initial letters and the modulatory impact of visual salience in reading processes. Flexible orthographic coding, visual attention and structural elements are crucial to word recognition. Implications include education, technology, psychology, and therapeutic applications, emphasising the difficulties of reading comprehension as well as the need of sequential and holistic perception theories. Future research could explore combined stimuli impacts and cross-language processes for enhanced understanding with the simultaneous use of neuroimaging techniques.