A computational model simulates word recognition in a noisy auditory environment. If lexical access thresholds are lowered due to prior exposure to semantically related words, which consequence follows?

💡 Explanation

Lowered lexical access thresholds facilitate the spreading activation of related concepts; therefore, weak or degraded auditory signals are more likely to trigger incorrect lexical matches. This is semantic priming, rather than enhanced phonological processing or satiation, because the context biases interpretation.

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