Boles D B, Eveland D C
J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 1983 Oct;9(5):657-74. doi: 10.1037//0096-1523.9.5.657.
Physically identical letter pairs are matched more quickly than are nominally identical or nonidentical pairs, which is an effect usually interpreted as resulting from the use of a visual memory code versus a phonetic or name code. However, prior manipulations of phonetic confusion and visual-field lateralization have provided little evidence consistent with this notion. Here, three reaction time experiments suggest through converging confusion and visual-field manipulations that a phonetic code is not used in either simultaneous or successive letter matching. Two additional experiments yield confusion evidence consistent with a rapid visual generation process underlying nominally identical and nonidentical matches, emphasizing the role of visual memory processes in all of the commonly used same-different letter-matching tasks. Implications for coding and hemispheric theories are discussed.
