Debriefing
The results from a typical Reicher-Wheeler paradigm experiment show higher accuracy in the ‘word’ condition than in the ‘non-word’ condition, even if the participant reports that they cannot see the words. Chance performance is 50%, since there are two response options on each trial. Participants usually score significantly above chance on word trials and just slightly above chance on non-word trials. The word superiority effect suggests that activation spreading from the word level to the letter level adds to any activation resulting from seeing the physical features of the letters.