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Concept information

phenomenon > memory phenomenon > word-frequency effect

Preferred term

word-frequency effect  

Definition

  • Low-frequency words are better recognized than high-frequency words, while high-frequency words are better recalled than low-frequency words.

Broader concept

Related concepts

Synonym(s)

  • word frequency paradox

Belongs to group

Bibliographic citation(s)

  • • Corps, R. E., & Meyer, A. S. (2023). Word frequency has similar effects in picture naming and gender decision: A failure to replicate Jescheniak and Levelt (1994). Acta Psychologica, 241, 104073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104073

    • Document type: empirical study

    , replication

    • Access: open

  • • Glanzer, M., & Bowles, N. (1976). Analysis of the word-frequency effect in recognition memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Learning and Memory, 2(1), 21–31. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.2.1.21

    • Document type: empirical study

    • Access: closed

  • • Gorman, A. M. (1961). Recognition memory for nouns as a function of abstractness and frequency. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 61(1), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0040561

    • Document type: empirical study

    • Access: closed

  • • Gregg, V. H. (1976). Word frequency, recognition, and recall. In J. Brown (Ed.), Recall and recognition (pp. 183–216). Wiley.

    • Document type: literature review

    • Access: closed

  • • Hall, J. F. (1954). Learning as a function of word-frequency. The American Journal of Psychology, 67(1), 138–140. https://doi.org/10.2307/1418080

    • Document type: empirical study

    • Access: closed

  • • Kinsbourne, M., & George, J. (1974). The mechanism of the word-frequency effect on recognition memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 13(1), 63–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5371(74)80031-9

    • Document type: empirical study

    • Access: closed

  • • Malmberg, K. J., & Murnane, K. (2002). List composition and the word-frequency effect for recognition memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 28(4), 616–630. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.28.4.616

    • Document type: empirical study

    • Access: closed

  • • Popov, V., & Reder, L. (2024). Frequency effects in recognition and recall. In M. J. Kahana & A. D. Wagner (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of memory (pp. 765–796). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190917982.013.27

    • Document type: literature review

    • Access: closed

Creator

  • Frank Arnould

Has model(s)

Has study method(s)

In other languages

URI

http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/P66-XK66NCJ2-8

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