Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4) Practice Exam

Question: 1 / 400

What does the word frequency effect imply about our response to words?

We respond more quickly to all words

We respond more slowly to low-frequency words

The frequency effect refers to the observation that the frequency with which certain words are encountered influences how quickly and efficiently we respond to them. Words that are used more frequently in a language, often termed high-frequency words, are typically processed more quickly than those that are less frequently encountered, known as low-frequency words.

This results in slower responses to low-frequency words because less exposure contributes to a weaker mental representation or familiarity with those words. As a consequence, the cognitive effort required to recognize, understand, and respond to low-frequency words is greater, leading to increased response times. Thus, the choice that suggests we respond more slowly to low-frequency words is aligned with this principle of word recognition and memory processing.

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We respond equally to both high and low-frequency words

We respond faster to low-frequency words

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