What is the Origin of Rapid Morphological Effects? A Preliminary Meta-analysis Investigating the Contribution of Meaning and Form in Masked Morphological Priming in Nonnative Derived Words

Lei Gu, Ken Chen and Wenrui Zhang

SAGE Open, 2025, vol. 15, issue 2, 21582440251340563

Abstract: This study conducted a preliminary meta-analysis to investigate the origins of rapid morphological effects in masked morphological priming in nonnative derived words. Data were drawn from 44 selected studies, including a total of 1,142 nonnative participants and 2,225 native participants across various language backgrounds. Studies were selected based on specific criteria, including a focus on masked priming effects with Transparent, Opaque, and Form conditions, and prime durations under 84 ms. Statistical analyses were performed to compare the priming effects of Transparent (e.g., worker-WORK), Opaque (e.g., corner-CORN), and Form (e.g., think-THIN) conditions, as well as to assess the interaction effects of group (native vs. nonnative) and prime type (Transparent vs. Opaque vs. Form). The study’s findings revealed that: (a) while native speakers demonstrated graded priming effects across all three prime types (Transparent > Opaque > Form), nonnative speakers exhibited the largest priming effect in the Transparent condition, but equivalent priming effects in the Opaque and Form conditions (Transparent > Opaque = Form); (b) native and nonnative speakers had similar priming magnitudes for the Transparent and Opaque conditions, but not for the Form condition. The study’s results indicate that: (a) rapid morphological effects in the native language are the result of contributions from both morpho-semantic and morpho-orthographic mechanisms, thereby providing support for the hybrid model; (b) nonnative morphological processing leverages the morpho-semantic mechanism, providing additional support for the supralexical model; (c) unlike native speakers, nonnative speakers rely on formal overlap to process pseudo-morphological structure. Overall, the study suggests that nonnative morphological processing appears to be similar to native morphological processing, but not entirely the same.

Keywords: masked morphological priming; rapid morphological effects; morpho-semantic; morpho-orthographic; meta-analysis; nonnative derived words (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:15:y:2025:i:2:p:21582440251340563

DOI: 10.1177/21582440251340563

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