Lexical Processing of Tertiary- Level Students: A Cognitive Scientific Experiment

ABSTRACT This paper is about the lexical processing performance of 144 college students from Zamboanga City, Philippines, and how their cognitive processing abilities can be empirically evaluated using a cognitive experiment Lexical Decision Task (LDT) administered and processed via SuperLab Pro 5 software. In such an experiment, participants determine as quickly and accurately as possible whether visually presented stimuli are real words or non-words, with stimuli being derived from the University Word List and pseudowords from established sources. Following Morton's Logogen Model [28], the study examines accuracy, reaction time, and possible sex differences in lexical processing. The students performed quite well, scoring an average of 73.26% accuracy rates, while the mean reaction time was 1,211.63 ms. Females performed better on tests (74.79%) than males (70.25%), but their male counterparts had speedier reaction times. It is in line with the Word Frequency Effect since high-frequency words are faster processed due to their lower cognitive load. The results underscore the value of exposure beyond the classroom in promoting good lexical access. Future experiments should consider factors like vocabulary knowledge, socio-economic status, and other stringent tools for assessing lexical processing mechanisms. Keywords: lexical processing, vocabulary knowledge, cognitive experimental task, reaction time, accuracy