Exploring the Interplay Between Lexical Context and Attentional Allocation in the Lexical Decision Task

The lexical decision task, commonly used in psycholinguistic research, measures response speed and accuracy to word and nonword stimuli. Although evidence suggests that the task operates under strategic control, the role of lexical context—defined by the types of stimuli present—on this control remains elusive. Here we attempted to explore whether lexical context influences attentional allocation during the lexical decision task. In Experiment 1, the context included both words (high and low frequency) and orthographically illegal nonwords, where decisions could be made based on orthographic information. Results showed that focusing on orthography required minimal attentional resources, leaving room for interference from a superimposed, unattended tilted grating. In Experiment 2, we removed the orthographically illegal nonwords, increasing the task’s attentional demands as decisions now required processing beyond orthography. This shift in demands eliminated interference from the tilted grating, suggesting that attentional resources were depleted. Importantly, word frequency information was accessed when attention was directed toward the lexical decision task but not when directed toward the tilted grating. Taken together, these findings indicate the dynamic interplay between lexical context and attentional allocation in the lexical decision task, highlighting the role of cognitive control in lexical processing.